Listing your own home, especially when you live 3000 miles away, is tough. Back in February, we were searching for a reliable listing agent who truly understands the client, the house, the market, and what it takes to get a home sold. As a licensee, I ask my colleagues for advice on who to interview to market our home. Not all agents are created equally, and my colleagues based their recommendation on the volume of sales, the number of units of homes they sold, and popularity. Note to other real estate agents; never recommend other real estate agents based on popularity, especially if you have not worked with them. Interview your agents and get to know them before hiring or recommending them.Then I realize there were only a few of us in the area that genuinely embraces this type of property and how you can sell it at a different level. Selling a unique custom house from 3000 miles away was the worst thing we did. At the beginning of 2020, one of my goals is to fire myself as the listing agent. I called a few agents in January and talk to them briefly about luxury real estate and started my Journey to replace me as the listing agent. We narrowed down to 4 agents, and in February, we flew into Charlotte to interview them face to face. Two of which were recommendations, and the other two were agents that I have dealt in the past, and I knew they provide the same level of service as I would to my clients or better. I had a few items on my criteria and one particular one that I highlighted.We chose Liza because she checked off almost all of Keith's criteria. She was well prepared, well-poised, and ready to get the house sold. She was the only one who gave us not a guarantee, but a projection on how long it would take her to sell the house. She was confident with herself, and a go-getter in an excellent classy way. After she left the house, Keith said, do you know her? Yes, I do, we had a failed transaction on a luxury home own by an NFL player. Her Buyer backed out. Then he said, should even consider her? I said YES! Not only she delivered her presentation very similar as I would for my clients, and I can tell that she is the one who will sell our house without a doubt. During the due diligence period, Liza and Amber were excellent at communication, calm & collected, and both were more patient than I am. Amber, her business partner, was terrific. These two dynamic duos were just a pleasure to work with. Also, a key to a successful sale is excellent communication, and your agent should not feel you are negotiating with each other throughout the process. As a Seller and Licensee myself, hiring a superb Listing agent gave me the confidence to trust Liza.Are you curious about what was highlighted on my list of criteria? I had 5 items to check off. Communication Skills; A presentation that supports market conditions; Marketing timeline that makes sense; Overall attitude (Keith needs to get along with him or her). The highlighted one was, "The agent needs to be better than me."Liza and Amber, Thank you for your patience during this Journey!
