Selling a home has changed and homeowners have questions

Americans are divided. Some claim that the world we live in now is the “new normal.” Others long for and expect the return of our way of life pre-pandemic.

Some of us are adapting, or “pivoting,” as those in business are fond of saying. That group includes real estate agents. I don’t keep a close eye on other businesses but I doubt that any group has adapted quicker than real estate agents.

Real estate consumers? As I said, we are divided in how we are dealing with current conditions.

If you’re one of those agents who breezes through a potential listing, plops down at the dining room table and hands a pen to the homeowner, with little explanation of the listing and sales process, you need to stop it.

Real estate consumers are especially confused by the industry’s new normal. It’s not something the media is paying much attention to, so it’s up to you to bring them up to speed. Every last detail of the buying and selling process during this “new normal” should be clarified if you hope for smooth, quick transactions.

Today, we’ll discuss how you can go about clarifying the listing process when selling a home during the pandemic.

What is their most burning question about selling a home during the pandemic?

Ah, the good old days. Remember when a homeowner’s first question was how much their home is worth and “How’s the current market?”

Today, sellers want to know what’s changed. How will buyers tour their home, appraisers appraise their home and inspectors inspect their home and keep the seller’s family safe?

How does selling a home during the pandemic work?

If you fail to ease their anxiety and clear up the confusion you may end up with a potential listing client who decides to delay the sale.

The listing presentation, obviously, is a good time to walk potential clients through the process. And, by the way, avoid making it sound complicated. It’s not more difficult to sell a home now, it’s just different.

Those potential sellers in your CRM need reassurance as well. Come up with a simple marketing piece (an infographic is ideal for this) showing how the process has changed.

Then, post it to social media and on your blog and snail mail it to those in your CRM.

Other than how they’ll be kept safe, sellers want to know if you’ll hold open houses and how that will work, with safety in mind.

What about showings? Will buyers’ agents stick to the safety protocols?

Explain how buyers’ wants and needs have changed

This is one of the biggest changes the pandemic has delivered. While buyers still long for granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances, those items have fallen lower on the wish list.

The average locked-down American spent a lot of time at home. Enough time to discover the more unpleasant aspects of it.

The pantry is way too tiny to store all the stocked-up food. There’s not enough room for the kids to burn off all that excess energy and still allow Mom and Dad to get their work done.

They have a lingering fear of the return of food shortages at the grocery stores. Thus, gardening has become one of the hottest trends.

So, although cleaning and decluttering still reign supreme, staging takes on more importance now.

Suggest that they:

• Remove most of what’s stored in the pantry, cupboards, drawers, closets and the garage. Storage is even more in-demand right now so the less clutter in these areas, the roomier they’ll appear.
• Spare room? Stage it as a gym or office (depending on the buyer you’re targeting). This can be done in an extra bedroom, study or finished basement or attic.
• Leave the trampoline. Seriously. If your target buyer is a family, suggest that the homeowner stage the backyard to appeal to children. It’s the one time that you don’t have to advise them to remove the trampoline or above-ground pool. Any swimming pool will bring a premium right now-at least in the summer market.
• Appeal to gardeners. Folks are craving space to grow their own food and anything the seller can do to cater to that will help the home sell for top dollar. It’s easy and inexpensive to accomplish. Build raised beds, add trellises along the walls, etc.
• Only have a patio? Have your clients grab some vegetable plants at the nursery, pot them up and arrange them on the patio. All sellers really need to do is give off a gardening vibe and let the buyers’ imagination take it from there.

Only you can answer the questions about buying and selling a home during the pandemic. Only you can put your leads at ease with it. Walking them through it, from staging, to inspections to closing.

Here are some real estate lead generation tips to use while on lockdown