But, “I have the heavy duty nails.”

Have you ever had a seller tell you that their home is the best on the block? I hear comments like this all the time. “I have seen the competition and mine is 10 times better than theirs.”

So I'm at a listing presentation the other day with all the materials and all the proof showing the home’s value. In the industry we call this providing our client a comparable market analysis. So you can imagine after having over 40 years of experience how prepared I am for the listing presentation. I always begin the presentation by showing them the CMA that I prepared for them. I show them in black-and-white proof of the value of their home. This is established by showing them three sold properties that are very comparable to theirs, if not exact model matches. I also show them the properties that are currently listed on the market and have them pay special attention to the days on market. Then, comes the big question to the client. How much do you think your home is worth? I have established the value of the home between $810,000-$830,000. There are currently two properties on the market; one is currently in escrow at $815,000. The other is still active at $845,000, and has been on the market for over 60 days. The seller replies back, “Joe I really would like to sell my home for $845,000.” So here I am 30 minutes into the presentation and the seller is basically telling me that her home has “the heavy-duty nails.”

I continue on with the presentation telling the client that I have over 40 years of experience selling real estate, that I have a proven 87 point marketing plan, and that I am willing to discount my commission to help them save money on the sale of their home. All this is lost in the conversation and the seller is still stuck on selling the home at $845,000. They thank me for providing them with his information and tell me they will call me when they have made their decision…

I get a call back a few days later and they are ready to list the home for $819,000. We sell the home a short time later at full price.