A Top Listing Agent is Always One Step Ahead

Sacramento real estate brokers rank #1 in the country for income.

Sacramento sellers deserve a top listing agent who is always one step ahead and knows what is coming down the road. It’s like having X-ray vision. We can see around blind curves. We know if you’re gonna run headfirst into another vehicle and slide down the hill or if you’re going around that curve with ease. We know it because our experience tells us. It works for those of us who learn by our earlier mistakes, and we all make mistakes on a regular basis in the early stages of our career. I made my share my first 10 years, but now I have passed the 40-year mark. I know better.

Time passing is no substitute for experience. You can have an average agent who has been in the business for 30 years but has never sold more than 100 or so homes in his life. Real experience is gained by closing sale after sale after sale on a consistent basis. An agent who closes 3 or 4 homes a year cannot possibly gain the experience of an agent who closes a couple of transactions a week. With every sale comes knowledge. It’s how we can preemptively know what is likely to happen and head it off before it turns into a problem. When you have gained that kind of knowledge and experience, confidence follows.

I was thinking about how a top listing agent is always one step ahead when I delivered a listing presentation yesterday before an audience. When somebody is watching you do it, you think about what you do afterward. My seller’s objective is to sell and have plenty of time to move into new home, which is being built. It’s supposed to be finished by December 8th. First thing I know from experience is new home builders often run into delays. I don’t want my seller to be without a place to live.

By using my negotiation skills as a top listing agent, I figure I can get the sellers at least a 2-month rent back. Another reason this idea works is because FHA will allow a buyer 60 days to move into the home. Given that time frame, I also figure that our hard winter rains could push the schedule forward. For that reason, I am targeting a move-out date of January 9th for this seller. Just to be safe. That way, if the builder is finished on time, she can move earlier, but at least she won’t be without a roof over her head.

To get the January 9th move-out date, we need to go on the market around September 29th. Plus, this date will coincide with our Lyon Real Estate Extravaganza Open House, which is held the first Sunday of every month (excepting for holidays). Her home could very well sell by the 9th of October, given our present days on market. With a 30-day escrow, we would close by November 9th. Two-month rent back brings us to January 9th.

The reason a rent back will work well is because this is a home for a first-time home buyer. First-time home buyers are often renters, which means they need to give 30 days notice. If they write an offer in early October, they might not need to move until the end of November, so it’s just another month for them to stay where they are and take their time to move. Not to mention, we have the holidays approaching, and it’s tough to move around the holidays. Much better to move early January.

This makes it a win-win for all parties involved. No stress. No hassle on both sides. And it’s a great plan for my seller. This is how a Sacramento top listing agent plans ahead and adjusts her strategy accordingly. Every sale is precious and unique to me.