How To Maximize Your Pre-Listing Preparation!

If you've been in real estate for any length of time, you've most likely had a listing presentation that took two or more hours to finish.

Was it time well spent? Hopefully you got the listing after taking all of that time.

Believe it or not, sellers don't want to take that much time out of their lives either.

It's time to become more efficient and effective with your pre-listing preparation.

Well, whether you got the listing or not, there's are ways to improve your effectiveness and decrease the amount of time you take at a listing presentation.

I want to share 2 strategies today that you can do to tweak your preparation for the better:

1. Pre-listing Phone Consultation - When you get a listing referral or cold seller lead, let them know that you need to talk with them for about 15 minutes to discuss their housing needs and to learn more about their home. (Keep it focused on them.) You need to make a list of qualifying questions to ask them, so that you can learn their motivation for selling, what kind of condition their home is in and are they in financial trouble with their mortgage. Don't drill them with question after question though. Keep it conversational! This is your chance to interview them to see if you want to take the next step with them.
   
2. Pre-listing E-mail Packet - You should send them a pre-listing packet by email. All you need to do make up a couple of forms in WORD and then turn it into a PDF file. (I know I'm starting to sound techie now, but I'm definitely not a tech head.) Stress to the sellers that you need them to have the packet filled out by your appointment. When you arrive, if they've filled it out, you know you have a motivated seller and someone who will more than likely work with you.

If you have no idea how to write one, send me an email at dan@danweis.com and I'll forward you mine for your use only.

By doing these 2 strategies, you'll be able to focus more on the motivated sellers and not waste as much time with those who think their home is worth more than the market will bear right now.

Now go out and find some more motivated sellers. As experienced agents, we need to increase our at-bats, so that sellers have a better chance of selling their homes.