Homeowners About to Sell Their Home!

Anyone remember

“Help U-Sell”?

Or

“Purplebricks”?

Many of the newest “whiz kid startups” are just one step short of a stock swindle “pump & dump” that lines the pockets of their Board of Directors; while leaving stockholders holding worthless stocks at some later date.

55 Reasons Tech Can’t/Won’t Replace Agents

Written by Jay Thompson, a former brokerage owner who spent the past six years working for the Zillow Group. He retired in Aug. 2018. His weekly column publishes every Wednesday.

“Stop the ‘woe-is-me’ and fearing you’ll be replaced. Go forth and guide your clients through the process of buying & selling homes”.

Preaching to the void in the past,
|I’m going to try one last time.

This time, it’s a list of things an app can’t do, but you can.

* Empathize

· Sympathize

· Negotiate

· Hold a hand

· Hug

· Possess wisdom

· Smack an appraiser

· Call out____ (a servicer not performing their job)

· Question an attorney

· Explain an inspection

· Haggle with a home warranty company, roofer, HVAC tech, landscaper,     repair person, structural engineer, pool service. HOA, city hall clerk

· Pour a pound of shock in a listing’s agents mind

· Sweep a porch – Trim a hedge – Hide the trash cans

· Walk the dog

· Help the …photographer, videographer, stager, inspector 

· Look a client in the eye and …tell them their house is dirty and smells

· Tell them their deceased parents’ home will sell, and they don’t have to   worry to tell them their house needs paint

· Explain repairs

· Make specific landscaping recommendations

· Suggest updates specific to the home

· Break down the housing market

· Explain and answer questions about escrow

· Talk about their home valuation

· Describe specific contractual obligations

· Tell them now is not the time they should be buying or selling

· Help them understand …contracts – deeds – encumbrances – surveys clouded titles – lot lines – percolation tests – septic systems – shared wells deed restrictions – local zoning laws

· Create a marketing plan  · Execute a marketing plan

There are many more. These are just the 55 that rolled out of my head. 

Ultimately, what an app can’t do — now or ever — is empathize with and help human beings who find themselves in an unusual situation that is expensive, infrequent, complicated, inefficient and unfamiliar to them.