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Don’t overreact! The market is shifting, not crashing. Tuck your drama in and get back to work.
If you expect buyers and sellers to transact with you, you must be educated, motivated and proactive. Knowledge equals confidence and ignorance equals fear. There are always people in the marketplace who wish to work with caring, competent and skilled professionals.
Follow these simple rules, so they’ll choose you.
1. More days on the market do not equal lowball offer time
You’ll probably pay the list price instead of the over-list price. Current statistics show that the most recent closings sold for 99.8 percent of the list price. You might be able to have it inspected and possibly not have to guarantee the appraisal gap. Don’t lose again just because you’re getting too aggressive too quickly. The market isn’t crashing.
2. Set your seller’s expectations for 2 scenarios
Yes, it may sell right away, possibly with multiple offers. However, if it does not sell right away, what does that do to their plans? Understand your seller’s motivation and timeframe, and discuss different scenarios (after you have the listing signed but before the first showing).
3. Prepare your listings as if you have more competition
Buyers are getting pickier and will pass on a home that seems neglected. Buyers are starting to believe there will be more inventory soon and may pass on something that’s not quite right. Proper previous preparation prevents pitifully poor performance! (The 7 P’s). Make it shine, even if you think you don’t have to. Your seller will thank you.
4. You must be more careful about accurate pricing on your listings
Do three comparative market analyses, perhaps more if your timeframe is stretching out. A listing presentation you go on today, where the seller will take 30 days to prepare the home, will require you to revisit the price before you actually launch it as a new listing. In a shifting market, this may adjust up, down or stay the same. What do the new pending listings and sales tell you?
5. If the seller has to sell, you have to take the listing
Don’t lose it over being adamant about your price. The market still has enough demand that you may be able to achieve the seller’s higher price (within reason).
6. Brush off your price reduction scripts
Wait, what? You don’t have any because you’ve never needed them? Yikes! Yes, it is possible in today’s market to actually overprice a listing and have it sit on the market. This is called “aspirational pricing” and is the no. 1 reason we see expireds every day. Don’t let it happen to you.
7. Always speak to the listing agent when you’re representing buyers
Find out what’s most important to the sellers. Other than price, what will make your buyers the buyers? The buyers who are still in the market after higher rates are more serious and probably more qualified. Assume you’ll still be competing for the listing most of the time.
8. Expect more appraisal issues in some markets
Yes, you can still negotiate appraisal gap clauses, but you need to be even more careful that the buyer can handle the difference. Expect the gap to get bigger as the market shifts. Lenders are already tightening their requirements.
9. Expect buyers to be more and more nervous
This will manifest in a shift toward their negotiating power if there are fewer offers on the same property. Inspections will start to matter again. Free seller leasebacks may dry up.
10. Ask more questions and communicate nearly daily
A nervous market tends to make up stories and create drama when it’s unnecessary. The stress is very real for your clients so be the leader in the transaction.
11. The market is not about to crash
It may seem like a crash to you if you believe that 40 days on the market is the end of the world. This time is not like last time. Many agents, buyers, sellers and lenders were not even adults during the “last time” — the crash of 2007 to 2009. The elements are not remotely the same. Waiting to buy or sell because you think the market will crash is a mistake.
12. Rates will continue to climb and then stabilize higher than you’re used to or want them to be
However, they’ll still be at historic low rates even if they land in the 6 percent to 7 percent range. Get your knowledge updated about adjustable rate mortgages, buydowns, seller financing, and other alternatives to the 30-year fixed. Also, realize that today’s 30-day fixed rate is still going to be better than tomorrow’s or next month’s rate.
13. Always have the strongest lender letter when you’re representing the buyer
It’s not good enough to just be pre-approved. Your buyer needs to be under loan approval, pending identification of the property and possibly the appraisal, nothing else. Have your lender call the listing agent and speak not just to their pre-approval but state that their ratios, credit, employment and down payment have been verified and are adequate for the purchase price of the home.
14. Knowledge equals confidence. Ignorance equals fear
Monitor your beliefs during a market shift. Are they based on facts or are they based on conjecture? Know what’s happening in your own backyard by watching your MLS hot sheets, reading your Board of Realtors monthly reports and staying tuned in to your favorite content providers.
With well over 50,000 1:1 coaching calls, Tim and Julie Harris are real estate coaches and hosts of the Real Estate Training and Coaching Radio. You can follow them on Twitter or LinkedIn.
