Vendor Advocacy… what the!? What is it?
Put simply, we take the pain and guesswork out of selling your home.
We do not replace the selling agent, we act as an independent consultant through the process, from start to finish.
Here’s how it works;
The Agent
We work out who the strongest agents in your area are. We then arrange two, possibly three of them to value your home and submit for the business. You can either be at these interviews, or we can take care of it for you. Though it is usually a good idea for the vendor to attend these agent meetings. We want to ensure they’re not only the best person for the job but that it’s a good fit for you too. It’s a very intense 4-10 week process, so you’ll want to like the agents you’re working with to a certain degree.
Picking the best agent doesn’t necessarily mean jumping online and seeing who’s got the best reviews. It’s actively knowing their history in the area, sales style and how they operate. After years of working as sales agents, we certainly know what to look for!
Who negotiates better in a soft market? Who sells the most off-market? Who has the strongest team? Who is the best auctioneer? Who has the most in depth buyer follow up? It’s going through the agents' opens and watching their auctions, somewhat ‘mystery shopping’ them. We sold real estate for over 10 years so know how to pick the best of the bunch!
Oh, and of course, we negotiate their commission rate for you.
The Method
Private sale, auction, expressions of interest, sale by set date... Options galore!! We chat about which is the best option for the particular area, the time of the year, and the property climate at the time.
The Marketing
Elaborate marketing schedules are a thing of the past, but unfortunately, we do still see agents trying to push their magazine or the newspaper. When was the last time you bought a property from looking at either of those sources? Thought so. They can be removed.
Is it a unique property? We can also chat about editorial exposure.
Do we need a for sale board? Is it on a corner? Should we have two for sale boards?
Photos – dusk or daytime?
We work through the marketing schedule the agents recommend and make suggestions around what’s needed and what’s not.
The Pre-sale works
These days it’s quite uncommon for a property to have had nothing done to it before it hits the market. We advise on what works are necessary to maximise the sale price. The best part, we organise quotes for the works and project manage it for you.
The Campaign
We are there with you, by your side throughout the whole process. To bounce ideas off and talk things through. You may have heard the term ‘vendor conditioning’ where the agent starts talking you down in price as soon as they get the listing... There is none of that on our watch! You have an independent professional in your corner. We’ve done this before and we know how a campaign should look, and how it should be conducted.
Best part? It doesn’t cost you a thing! You read that right… We negotiate a fee directly from the agent’s commission, so you have an independent professional in your corner at absolutely no extra cost.
You’re welcome.
- Tabitha Robb