Turn on the TV or radio and seemingly every commercial is about cell phones and Real Estate companies.  All of the Real Estate commercials promise you more money for selling your home, or quicker closes or some other “sensational” promise that sound appealing. 

Unfortunately, most of those ads are misleading or in some cases they are literally trying to steal your equity from you.  These companies that are offering no commissions are lying, because somehow, in the way they write up the contract/agreement with you they are getting paid.  Nobody works for free.    These companies that say they can close the sale of your home in just a few days and get you top dollar are just trying to steal your equity.  They are preying on people who are desperate to sell whether to avoid foreclosure or because they have to move quickly.  

I get a little irritated when I hear these commercials promising you over market value for your home.  They come in, assess a value, (that they determine) and make it seem like they are doing you are favor.  So, think about this, if they are buying your house “over” market value, with the intent to then sell it to someone else, why would the next guy pay even more over market value for the house?  Someone is being misled…either the seller to believe they are getting an above value price or the new buyer for paying more than they should.  It’s all smoke and mirrors!!

Going back a few months ago we had a crazy period, where prices were going up fast, we had little inventory, and seemingly a gazillion people moving into Phoenix at the same time.  Throw in historically low interest rates and it was a crazy few months.  The thing is that was the exception not the rule.  Nothing that happened during that time was normal, or sustainable.  Now we’re trending back to “normal”.

Now that things aren’t abnormally frantic, and the dust has settled, let’s consider a few things.  We have less cash buyers again, which lends credibility to this being a more “normal” market again.  If most people are financing, then appraisals are required, and banks are not going to let people finance a home purchase “over market value”.  And nearly all buyers in this type of a market are not going to bring additional cash to bridge the gap between true market value (appraised value) and the overpriced sale price.  With all of that in mind, anyone attempting to be hired by you to sell their property, starting the conversation by telling you they can get you more money for your home than anyone else is lying, and you should run!

I hear other Agents promising to not bring you “flaky” buyers.  How in the world does a Real Estate Agent know a potential buyer is flaky until they do something flaky?  This is impossible to know up front, and if Agents are ruling out people up front that they deem to be flaky, you might actually be missing out on some potentially good offers.  It’s just a silly overhyped selling point in the end.  These agents are making it seem like there are so many of these “flaky” buyers out there, creating worry, where there doesn’t need to be.  

Another crazy element to all of this, is you hear these ads, and these agents brag about their ability to get you top dollar, to avoid flakes, to sell your home quickly, etc. and you will never actually deal with that Agent personally!  If you call, you are going to get through to their team.  You will be dealing with someone other than the actual Agent, and perhaps even multiple members of the team. Often, you end up working with someone on the team that has a fraction of the experience or knowledge than the actual Agent has, and everything that drew you in, and compelled you to call, is out the door when you start working them!

So, who should you hire to sell your house?  First of all, I’d say work with someone that doesn’t make a bunch of outlandish promises and bring up issues that are not very common or even important.  If it sounds too good to be true, it is.  Any Realtor or company promising to do or give you something that others can’t, is lying.  There are not any Realtors out there who have any magic dust, or secret ways to get you more money, or bring you buyers. 

However, there are many ways that one Agent can be more or less professional, or competent, or efficient than another.  You should work with an Agent you trust, and that you connect with relationally, not because of crazy promises they make.   Also, there are Agents who are much better at actually representing you and protecting you in a real estate sale or purchase.  

If you want to work with Mahody Realty to buy or sell a property, I can’t promise you that you will get more than your home is worth.  I can’t promise to bring you only good, non-flaky buyers.  I can’t promise to give you anything extra that you could get in any normal free-trade market.  However, I can promise you the truth, professionalism, and a tremendous amount of market knowledge.  And if a flaky buyer comes along, I can assure you we will figure it out quickly, and make sure you are protected from such buyers and come up with the right solutions. 

You are free to work with any Real Estate Agent at Mahody Realty.  If you choose to work with me directly, I can assure you, you will actually be working with me directly!  I have a background in Finance having been a Stockbroker for 6 years.  In the world of Stocks and bonds, nobody is going to pay $12 for a stock, that they can buy for $11.  And similarly, nobody is going to pay over market value for a house, when there are plenty to choose from, that aren’t overpriced.  My background in the investment world makes me a great asset to my clients, whether you are an investor building a portfolio, or looking to buy or sell a home for your family.

Feel free to give me a call, 480-622-7464.  Let’s chat about what you are trying to accomplish, and then you can decide if you feel I am the type of professional you can trust and want to work with.