When selling real estate, every owner wants the same thing – the best possible price with the least amount of hassle and aggravation. Doing business in today’s real estate world requires experience and training in such fields as real estate marketing, financing, negotiation and closing – all available from your CENTURY 21 ® Sales Associate.
After viewing your property, your Sales Associate will outline the service provided by CENTURY 21, present a marketing plan, review the listing agreement and, after doing a market analysis, recommend a listing price. Ideally, you want to be sure that your property is competitive with others for sale in the same or similar area. CENTURY 21 ® Sales Associates, who see numerous properties for sale, will provide guidance concerning the best listing price that is consistent with existing market conditions. Upon agreement on price and signing of the listing agreement, marketing of the property for sale begins.
Today, our world is a global village. For home sellers, that means that your next purchaser could be anyone from around the corner, to around the world.
Therefore we ensure that the marketing of a real estate property can include:
- Introduction of the property to qualified purchaser
- Networking with other agents and real estate companies
- Placement of a “For Sale” sign
- Newspaper advertising
- Placement of the listing on websites, (Century 21.com has the highest traffic of any real estate sales organization website, with 5.25 million user sessions per month, showing over 225,000 online listings and office search capabilities)
- Open Houses
- Making your property available to the CENTURY 21® referral network (Century 21 ® Real Estate Corporation is part of the largest real estate referral network in the world with over 7,800 offices in 42 countries and territories and there are over 143,000 agents of change – connecting potential buyers and sellers around the globe)
In marketing the property, it is necessary to look at the property through the eyes of a prospective purchaser and determine what need to be cleaned, painted, repaired and tossed out. Before being place on the market, properties must be in “show” condition. Your Sales Associate will explain what is required to produce the best results.
Your Sales Associate will make appointments to show your property to prospective purchasers. Interested purchasers are required to complete and sign an “Offer to Purchase”, which outlines the offer price, terms and financing needed to complete the purchase. Offers are presented by your Sales Associate, who will explain the offer details, negotiate on your behalf and offer options to close the deal and meet your objectives.
Upon acceptance of the offer, your Real Estate Broker will prepare a Sales Agreement, which is signed by both you and the purchaser. At the signing of the Sales Agreement, the purchaser pays a deposit (usually 10% of the purchase price).
There is no agreement between the purchaser and the vendor until the Agreement for Sale is signed and deposit paid. Having completed the Sales Agreement, property searches and the process to transfer the property title and payment of stamp duty is undertaken by the Attorneys representing the purchasers.
The balance of the purchase price is due at the closing of the sale. A typical real estate sales commission could range from 3% to 5% of the actual purchase price, which is typically paid on completion of the sales transaction.
EXCLUSIVE LISTINGS ARE THE WAY TO GO!
Exclusive listings are the only listings that exist in North America and Europe, and this is fast becoming the norm here in Trinidad. Smart sellers know that if their property is to be sold in the shortest time possible, then they are looking for maximum exposure. An exclusive listing ensures that your property gets that exposure. Many people shy away from exclusive listings, believing that they are restrictive, when in fact the opposite is true.
WHAT IS AN EXCLUSIVE LISTING?
The agent enters into an exclusive listing contract with the seller to effectively market your property to the widest possible audience. Your agent is prepared to invest time and money in marketing your property, as a return is guaranteed upon completion of the sale. A widely exposed property sells faster, and a satisfied client is the best referral. It costs the seller nothing to sign an exclusive listing and you are assured that your property is given the priority and the attention it deserves.
WHAT IS A NON-EXCLUSIVE (OPEN) LISTING?
A non-exclusive listing means that any Broker from any agency can sell the property. A non-exclusive listing lacks commitment and guarantees nothing to the agent that markets the property. As a result, open listings tend to have a lower priority than exclusive listings and receive much less exposure. Would you spend a lot of time on an investment if there was no guaranteed return?
ADVANTAGES OF AN EXCLUSIVE LISTING
Having an exclusive listing allows you to deal with one professional agent, who is dedicated to marketing and selling your property. A non-exclusive listing results in having to speak to a number if people who are not as committed to selling your property and may not even be recognized real estate agents. Imagine having pre-qualified buyers, professional showings, high-quality flyers of your property printed in full colour, written offers and professionals handling the legal issues and all of the paperwork commonly associated with selling real estate. Why wait? Call us today to find out more about our professional services. Our sales associates will be happy to explain the benefits of listing exclusively.
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