Yogi Berra has said a lot of things about baseball, but what would he he say if asked about selling a house in 2012?
Berra was a fifteen-time All-Star, and the Major League Baseball MVP three times, in 1951, 1954 and 1955. While he is arguably one of the best baseball players of all time, he is better known for his “yogi-isms,” his wonderful way with words.
I thought it might be interesting to apply some of his most often quoted expressions, but use them in reference to selling a house.
Yogi Berra On Selling A House
“Overwhelming underdogs“ – if two homes are equal, then price is the only differing factor. If you want to sell a house in 2012, then it is your job to make sure your home is “equal to” nicer homes, not lesser homes. You do this by making sure it is impeccably groomed; it should be maintained for expected showings 24/7.
“If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be“ – A home’s value is relative. It is relative to all the other homes that are available the day that a homebuyer is going to make a purchase decision. No matter how much you think your home is perfect, others will see it in the context of all of their other choices.
“If the guy was poor, I would give it back” – Yogi’s reply when somebody once asked what he would do if he found a million dollars… Every home could be somebody’s castle, as well as somebody else’s dump. No matter how nice your home is, somebody in the world (i.e. the Queen of England) could not fathom living there. The opposite is true as well. Marketing your home as “nice” or “fantastic” is generally a waste of time, it should be targeted to a specific expected buyer pool.
“You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there” – You need to be focused on getting your home sold all the time. You have to understand that there are more sellers than buyers right now, so selling a house is like being unemployed, you always have to be ready for a job interview. Not maintaining your home is like going on a job interview and not bothering to comb your hair.
“It’s deja vu all over again“ When you hire a real estate agent based upon the price that the agent says she can get for your home, then most likely you are going to be disappointed. 64% of all homeowners hire the first agent they interview, primarily because they “like” the agent and are happy with the “promised” sales price. This is something that hasn’t changed in my 20+ years in real estate and these homeowners end up having to hire another agent for the job of really selling a house.
“I usually take a two hour nap from one to four“ Open houses are for information seekers. Always have been, always will be. It’s a great chance for real estate agents to meet future home buyers, but history teaches us we have less than a 1% of selling a house through an open house. You should demand your agent use their time marketing your home to people who might actually buy it.
“The future ain’t what it used to be” We know that 94% of home buyers are using the internet. Shouldn’t the real estate agent and real estate company you hire for selling a house be spending 94% of their marketing time and marketing budget on the internet?
“You can observe a lot by watching“ – All you have to do is spend about an hour on the internet, and you will find the most aggressive regional company that dominates the internet for selling a house. Just google “top real estate agent Tallahassee, FL“ (or whatever your city) and you will find out who most likely can drive the most local, ready buyers to your home.
Selling A House In 2012
There is no reason for you to be baffled about selling a house in 2012. If you want to find out what your options are, just drop me a note and I will walk you through how the top real estate internet marketing plan will get you top dollar in today’s difficult housing market.
I hope you found the clarity and wisdom in Yogi’s thoughts, as they surely will help you if are planning on selling a house in 2012.
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