One of the toughest elements of this market is the fact that houses lose their uniqueness. The real disconnect is coming from this: Most sellers are trying to sell emotionally and buyers are buying logically. And agents who list properties and only speak “emotion” are really exacerbating the level of disconnect because buyers can’t understand the logic behind their sales pitch. The best thing that we as agents can do for sellers is to speak “logic” when we take a listing a pitch it to buyers in the market. An emotionally charged marketing campaign in the absence of a logically based price results in reduced prices and expired listings, and sellers continue to be “held hostage” by a home they no longer want. Logic means that something has to make good sense, particularly when compared to other things. Therefore, the properties that sell in less than 1 month on the market are the properties that show better than the other active listings on the market and are priced better than anything else that a buyer sees.

A listing is like an illness. With the right prescription (price) it goes away. With the wrong prescription (price) it gets worse.

As agents (and essentially independent business owners), no matter what, we have to be more concerned about taking an overpriced listings: it hurts our bottom line; it hurts our reputation; and it does our sellers a disservice by giving them false hope and wasting time and money that many of them don’t have.

Our ability to price listings accurately enough to attract offers has never had more importance. The time and money that this can save our sellers can literally save them. It can save their marriages, their families and it can save them financially. For the agents who understand this and become obsessive about it, there’s never been a more rewarding time to be a Realtor.

We realize that the truth is tough and can hurt a seller right now. However, the lack of truth hurts more and does more damage than most people can see on the front end of selling a home. Our challenge and our opportunity is to raise the level of our game so that our clients can trust our data, trust our recommendations and predict the future as clearly as we can. Together we can meet this challenge! 

We’re fighting the good fight! Together, we are making a huge difference in the lives of the people that we serve.

Thanks to Keller Williams & our owner, Shaun Rawls, for providing us with this info and for all of the traning we receive.  I’m so proud & fortunate to be in business with you.

Aaron Allen & Kelly Allen | Atlanta Real Estate Consultants

The Kelly Sells Atlanta Team | Great Service for Great People

10 Questions To Ask Your Realtor® Before Buying a Home…

1. Are you a full-time professional Realtor® and how long have you worked full time in real estate?

Absolutely.  With that said, as with any profession, the number of years a person has been in the business does not necessarily reflect the level of service you can expect, but this is still information you want to know and it is a good starting point for your discussion.  Knowing whether or not your Realtor® practices real estate on a full-time basis can help you foresee scheduling conflicts and, overall, his or her commitment to your transaction.

Kelly started this company over 10 years ago and Aaron has joined her since, along w/ the rest of the Team.  This business is our livelihood and since so much of our business comes from referrals, we’re committed to customer service.  After all, a referral is the best compliment we could ever receive.

2. Do you have a Team or Staff to handle different parts of the purchase transaction?

Our Team has a Buyer’s Specialist, a Listing Specialist, an Admin and a Closing Coordinator.  Our office partners with a prominent Closing Attorney’s office in Atlanta and we also have a Lender we work very closely with that will NEVER disappoint you if you’re shopping the best rates & loan packages.

Although we have an Admin Assistant and a Closing Coordinator, we stay involved in every step of the process and we’re only a phone call, text message or an email away!

Buyer Specialist: Aaron Allen | 404.863.8680 | aaron@kellysellsatlanta.com
Listing Specialist: Kelly Allen | 404.606.2219 | kelly@kellysellsatlanta.com
Team Admin: Lorena Theiler | lorena@kellysellsatlanta.com
Closing Coordinator: Holly Syers | hollysyers@kw.com
Closing Attorney: Ferguson McManamy Buckhead | 404.705.7933
Lender: Mark Daker with Fidelity Mortgage | 770.649.4949 | mark.daker@lionbank.com

3. Who selects the homes I will see?  Do you have a website that will provide me with useful information for researching homes, neighborhoods, etc?

Approximately 90% of homebuyers start their search for homes and home buying information online. There are certain privacy and comfort levels that you might appreciate in starting a preliminary search this way, and often it is just a matter of convenience to have 24-hour access to information.  You may start your research here on our website, but once you’re getting serious and ready to take the next steps, we will set up a personal, tailored search and webpage for you which will allow you to see the homes that meet your search criteria and you can also add notes, categorize and prioritize the properties so that you start to narrow your focus.  You will receive daily updates from your personalized webpage with new and reduced property listings that match your wants/needs.

4. Will you show me properties from other companies’ listings?  Who do you represent in the transaction and how do I benefit from having you represent me?  How do you get paid?

Yes, we have access to all listings that are Active and allow agents to access them via a lockbox and we will never limit your search to only our company’s listings.  (Some real estate companies do offer their buyers’ agents a higher commission if they are able to sell “in-house” listings and there may be added incentive to show you a more limited range of homes than you might consider. If this is the case with your Realtor®, you should be very clear on how this will impact your home search). 

As full-time Realtors, we study the market and have access to all of the market data, active listings and comparable sales in the metro-Atlanta area.  An Exclusive Buyer Brokerage Agreement in the State of Georgia protects your rights as a Buyer and details the Buyer’s Agent’s fiduciary obligation to work in the Buyer’s best interests and negotiate on the Buyer’s behalf.  We like to call this your Buyer Confidence Form.  As part of the Georgia Association of Realtors we’re bound by ethics and your needs are our focus and any information you disclose to us will always remain confidential. 

A Buyer’s agent is typically paid through the listing agent’s commission.  This commission is set with the listing broker or agent when the listing is taken and the listing agent will usually compensate the Buyer’s agent approximately 50% of that commission for bringing a Buyer.  So, what you’ll want to take from this is: BUYER AGENCY IS FREE TO THE BUYER!!!  Nice, right?  And if you ever decide that you are not satisfied with our services, this Buyer Brokerage Agreement can be terminated at any time with no haggle from our end.  Absolutely nothing for you to lose.

5. What is the current appreciation/depreciation in our area?

This is a case-by-case answer, but we have market statistics at our fingertips and can sit down with you to show you market trends, comparable listings and sales, how long it takes listings to sell, # of foreclosures in that area, sales price to list price ratios and ultimately what’s a good deal and what isn’t.  We’ve also set up another FREE tool for you to get a feel for the market you’re interested in.  Go to:

http://www.kellysellsatlanta.com/blog/free-neighborhood-report/

6. What strategies should I use when competing with other buyers for the same home?

Wow!  This happens very often, especially with foreclosures.  Banks are listing homes so low that they attract multiple offers from Buyers hungry for a steal, and these offers come in quickly…so you have to be ready to react when a deal presents itself (which brings me to question #7 below).  And since the listing agent represents the seller and the seller’s best interests, they may drop a hint or 2 but they won’t reveal any of the details of the other offer(s) that they’ve received. 

What you want to do 1^st and foremost is: decide how badly you want that home and whether or not you would be discouraged if someone else got it.  At that point, using comparable sales and values in that neighborhood that we retrieve for you, you want to make the best offer you feel comfortable with so that you know at the end of the day, win or lose, you gave it your best shot.  There may or may not be any negotiations in a “highest and best” offer situation.  Keeping stipulations and requests of the seller at a minimum can’t hurt, but you’ll always be protected by the Due Diligency Period (a.k.a. Inspection Period), which is generally negotiated to somewhere in the range of 7-21 days.

7. Should I be pre-approved by a Lender – can you help me with that?

This is actually the very 1^st step when getting ready to buy…the lender will estimate what your PITI (Principal, Interest, Taxes & Insurance) should be and help you determine a comfortable price range use in your home search.  You’ll need a pre-approval letter prior to submitting an offer, so you want to have one current and handy so that we’re ready when that perfect place comes on the market! 

You may have a lender you’d like to use, but it never hurts to get a 2^nd opinion.  Call Mark Daker with Fidelity at 770-649-4949.

8. What distinguishes you from other Realtors®? What is your negotiating style and how does it differ from those of other Realtors®?

It should be important to know that your Realtor® has unique methods of overcoming obstacles and is an effective negotiator on your behalf, but most importantly that your Realtor® can advocate for you in the most effective ways.

Our Team carries almost 15 years of negotiating experience and we have an office of over 100 agents, along with a network of professional (like our Lender and Closing Attorney) that we can go directly to with questions or concerns that will help us avoid issues before they even arise; after all, over 70% of lawsuits in Real Estate transactions result from an unrepresented party!!

As for our personalities & negotiating styles: We’re very easy to work with, laid back and down to Earth, and we approach each transaction and negotiation this way – they always say you catch more bees with honey then vinegar.  However, when push comes to shove, or if a situation arises that causes us to have to fight for our clients, we have no problem adjusting our belts and handling business. J

9. How will you keep in contact with me during the buying process, and how often?

Once we’ve met and done our initial consultation, we begin your search. We have access to systems that will notify you of new properties as they come on the market (which could happen several times a day or several times a week).

From the results of the initial search, you may have a list of homes you’d like to see.  We’ll schedule a time so that our Team can make appointments for us to view the properties together.  We can stay in contact as often as you’d like, working at a quick or slower pace.  Most of our clients see approx 8-10 homes before making an offer. 

Once an offer is made, negotiation starts and we’ll be communicating multiple times each day, most likely.  Once the offer is accepted and the agreement between all parties becomes “binding” the lender, closing attorney, home inspector, etc become involved and work towards the ultimate goal of getting you into your new home ON TIME, SEAMLESSLY and SMILING!

10. Will you give me names of past clients who will give references for you?

Absolutely – just ask.  We would, of course, like to ask their permission each time, but as long as they don’t mind receiving your phone or email then we wouldn’t mind either.

1% off on your list price could be the difference between a quick sale (25 days on the market) and hybernating on the market for over 200 days!  1st quarter was 29 days on mkt for well the well priced homes – so the pace is picking up!

Statistics show that if you’re priced correctly the 1st time, you’ll sell in 25 days for 96.9% of list price – crazy, right?  I bet your neighbor didn’t tell you that the last time you talked Real Estate, and I know the news didn’t leak it…

However, if you miss on your pricing, even by a little, you could end up selling for 75% of original list price and torture yourself for months & months & months cleaning & praying, wondering what the problem is & why your home won’t sell. (more…)

Calling all jazz aficionados! Grant Park will be hosting the 2009 Atlanta Jazz Festival May 23/24, Memorial Day weekend. Every day in May, Atlanta will embrace its musical roots by bringing the nation’s
most high-profile jazz musicians to venues around the city, culminating in a festive jazz-filled weekend in Grant Park.
Artists include: Rialto All Stars, Russell Gunn & Elektrik Butterfly, Freddy Cole, Mausiki Scales and the Common Ground Collective, Cindy Blackman (drummer also with Lenny Kravitz), Hiroshima and more!
For more information on the Atlanta Jazz Festival, please call the information hotline at 404.853.4234 or visit the website at www.AtlantaFestivals.com. Bring your blanket, ice-cold drinks and a picnic to the park and get ready for a great time!

While you’re in Grant Park, please stop by one of our newest listings! The KellySellsAtlanta.com Team will be holding 431 Atlanta Avenue, 1 block from Grant Park, open both days. Stay tuned for times.