Have you heard about the Next Generation in Selling Property?

It’s called Seller’s Advocacy… a term most people have never heard of, but one we believe will soon become the next generation in selling property. To put it simply, a seller’s advocate is an independent professional advisor who acts as an intermediary between yourself and the real estate agent, and works EXCLUSIVELY in your best interests. Their role is to provide you completely honest and unbiased assistance throughout the sale process and ensure the real estate agent is working to their maximum capacity to achieve the best possible outcome.

Now I hear you say “Isn’t that what the real estate agent is paid to do anyway?”. And yes that is true. However if you’ve ever had a bad experience during a property transaction, or heard some of the horror stories told by family or friends, you will already know that the answer to this question is not always black and white. The fact is, the number of people who don’t trust real estate agents vastly outweighs the number of people who do, and is growing rapidly. This is no secret. And we have a theory on why this is the case.

Having been a Licensed Real Estate agent since 1992, I’ve seen some things that will literally make your toes curl. From the dummy bidding epidemic of the 90’s where without hesitation, agents would bring along friends and family to act as bidders, to some of the unscrupulous tactics used by agents today like fabricating offers that don’t exist and practically everything else in between. Don’t get me wrong, not all agents are untrustworthy. However, finding an honest agent these days can be an extremely difficult task. This is why choosing the right agent when selling your home can be the most critical part of the process. A Seller’s Advocate helps you make this decision by using their intimate knowledge of the sale process and keen ability to assess the best agent for the job. Choosing an agent based on a sale they made up the road, their nice personality, or even worse – the cheapest commission, can be setting yourself up for disaster.

So why are real estate agents considered to be so dishonest and untrustworthy? The 2013 Top 50 of Australia’s Most Trusted Professions, ranks Real Estate Agents as No. 45. Just one above Sex Workers at 46 and then Call Centre Staff at 47. Not very impressive is it?

Our main theory is that it all comes down to the way agents are remunerated. When an industry charges a fee based only upon success, it’s only natural they will do whatever it takes to make that sale. If no sale occurs, then no fee is paid.  They may have worked with you for 3 months and walk away without being paid a cent for their efforts. When you look from this perspective, I think it becomes pretty clear who the agent is really working for. And it’s not actually their fault! They need to protect their livelihood. There are some agents who choose to use dishonest tactics to ensure they make a sale no matter what. It is these agents who go too far and inevitably give the rest of the industry a bad name. Others are in it for the long term and understand that bad news can travel really fast. A good reputation is essential in the real estate industry and the better agents thrive on repeat business and referrals.

How do you know which agent you should go with? Leave that up to us. Our industry knowledge and experience combined with our stringent interview process ensures you make the right choice. And the benefits don’t stop there. A seller’s advocate will save you thousands by negotiating the best possible selling fee, we help you prepare your home for sale, attending to any maintenance or upgrade works required, arranging pest & building reports, attending the open homes and dealing directly with your agent throughout the entire process. Honesty and transparency are our core values and we specialise in bringing these to the sale process together with a fantastic result.

If you’d like to find out more about the benefits of using a Seller’s Advocate for your next property transaction, we are offering Complimentary 1 hour consultations to the first 5 people to reply to register your details or reply to this email. Simply send us your name and phone number and we will be in touch soon.

Happy Selling!

www.innovativeproperty.net.au

Kathryn Fantov-7 Kathryn Fantov, Principal