 If
you're like most people, myself included, you probably get suspicious
when you see signs advertising something as FREE. "Where's the
catch" you say to yourself.
We've all seen advertising from Real Estate Agents offering a
"free market analysis" and most of us guess that there has to
be a catch, right?
Here's the naked truth ... Real Estate Agents offer their services
for free because they hope to get a foot in the door and maybe have the
opportunity to list the home for sale. (Some agents will place an
unrealistically high value on the home in the hope to get the listing,
hoping to persuade the seller into lowering the price after a couple of
months).
Asking an agent to value a home for free, and expecting to get an
accurate valuation, is like taking our car to a used car dealer and
asking for an appraisal on the value of the car; the value we are given
will frequently be influenced by the expectations of the appraiser. (If
the car dealer is buying it we will be given one price; if they are
selling it, we will be asked to pay another price).
Some homeowners believe the easiest way around this problem is to ask
three agents to give "free" valuations on the home and then
pick the average price, or the middle price as the home's true value.
What this scenario leaves out is that the true value of a home is not
determined by the agents, but by the buyers in the market at the time
you choose to sell the home, when comparing your home to others in the
market. Thus, to get a true picture of the value of the home, you should
seek independent counsel on the market conditions, trends and recent
activity.
Some experts have argued that it is impossible to get independent
advice from real estate salespeople whose primary goal is to get you to
sign a listing contract either today, or at some point in the future.
Although we do provide a complimentary "Highest Price
Analysis" to prospective sellers considering one of our listing
packages, we also offer a unique "Comprehensive Market
Analysis" service that you can purchase and, if you decide to
list your home with us, we'll refund the money at closing. This service
empowers you to obtain an truly independent yet highly professional
pricing analysis without fear of any hidden agendas. Because we
are paid for the time it takes to prepare the analysis, we can be sure
we do a thorough job. We like this approach because it allows us to
build a relationship based upon fair payment for services rendered,
rather than creating any kind of moral obligation to list your home with
us based upon proving so-called "free" services.
People who take advantage of our Comprehensive Market Analysis
service typically fall into one of the following categories:
-
You want to sell your home yourself and
you need a fair valuation before putting the home on the market;
-
You are thinking of putting an addition
onto your home and wanting to determine if it would be worthwhile
(you can benefit from a Before and After Analysis [BAA] that shows
what the home is likely to be worth after the addition is finished;
allowing you to decide whether to add-on or move).
-
You are buying a home and want an
independent assessment of a property's value prior to placing an
offer to purchase.
-
You may be considering selling your home
but want to avoid having a salesperson giving you their sales pitch;
you can go for a no-commitment independent analysis before deciding
what to do.
To request either a complimentary "highest price analysis"
or the "comprehensive market analysis", or to simply learn
more about our services in this area, please complete the online request form and
we'll contact you soon. (You can also call and leave a message at any
time at 508-989-0881).
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