Real Estate

Listing & Sales

Techniques
Prepared for the
Georgia Real Estate Association
by
Gail Lyons,
ABR, CCIM, C-CREC, CIPS, CRB, CRS, DREI, QSC, SRES

Overview
1. Getting Started
2. Working for sellers
3. Working for buyers
4. Negotiating the purchase contract
5. Due diligence & closing
6. Ethics & professional practice
7. Continuing education
Getting Started:
Learning Your Market
To be successful, you must know your market
as well or better than anyone else.

1. Develop a data base to organize information
2. Collect information in as much detail as possible
a. demographics
b. market size and activity
c. price range

Getting Started:
Learning Your Market
3. Where are shopping, schools,
recreational facilities, etc. located?
4. What laws govern property use?
5. What laws govern real estate
transactions?
6. What else do you need to know
about your market?
Getting Started:
Your Tools
1. Professional wardrobe
2. Listing catalog
3. Brief case
4. Tape measure
5. Screwdriver, pliers
6. PDA or appointment book
7. Maps
8. Data base
9. Listing forms, contracts
10. Purchase contracts
11. Mortgage calculator
12. List of mortgage
companies, surveyors, etc.
13. Signs, lockboxes, etc.
14. Company policy manual
15. Buyers handbook
16. Sellers handbook
17. ___________________


Getting Started:
Finding Prospects (handout #3)
1. Develop an effective data base to
retain names, addresses, phone
numbers, contact history, etc.
2. List potential referral sources
a. Relatives
b. Friends
c. Business contacts
Getting Started:
Finding Prospects, continued
3. Contact referral sources
a. Send an announcement letter
b. Include your business card
c. Stay in touch: 4 times/year minimum
4. Join organizations: meet people =
social farming
5. Establish a geographic farm: become
the expert (handout #2)
Getting Started:
Finding Prospects, continued
6. Opportunity time
7. Target likely prospects
a. Mailing lists/membership rosters
b. Announcements in newspapers
8. Increase your visibility
a. Develop & distribute a newsletter
b. Hold open houses
c. Advertising
9. Cold calls
Understanding Why People Buy
& Sell Real Estate:
Its Usually Personal!
1. Death
2. Divorce
3. Illness
4. Financial
pressures
5. Loss of
employment
6. Job transfer
7. Marriage
8. Birth
9. Promotion
10. Expression
11. Unexpected
wealth
12. Prestige
13. Investment
Duties Owed to
Your Clients

1. Usually based on law/regulation/custom
2. Six primary fiduciary duties
a. Loyalty
b. Keep personal information confidential
c. Obedience
d. Reasonable skill & diligence
e. Disclose all known facts
f. Accounting for money & documents
Conflicts of Interest
1. Occur when the duties you owe to one
person conflict with the duties you owe to
another person, including yourself!
2. Conflict must be disclosed immediately
and a solution agreed upon; put the
solution in writing signed by both parties
3. If no solution can be agreed upon,
terminate one or both relationships

Responsibilities to
Other Party
1. Fair and honest treatment
2. Disclosure of all known facts about the
transaction and property
3. Disclosure of fact you are expected to
know
4. No misrepresentation: know the facts
and dont guess
5. Fully explain any documents that
require signatures
Responsibilities to
the Public
1. No discrimination
2. Provide competent service
3. Dont undertake a job youre not
qualified to perform
4. Do not do any advertising thats false,
misleading or a misrepresentation
5. Do not do anything contrary to the law
Responsibilities to
Other Agents
1. Do not knowingly make false or
misleading statements about your
competitors
2. Do not take any action inconsistent
with the agency of another agent
3. Disclose your client relationship to
other agents at first contact
LISTING: Working for Sellers
Finding Potential Sellers
1. Geographic farming
2. Divorce/marriage
3. Death/illness
4. For-sale-by-owners
5. Expired listings
6. Foreclosure notices
7. Neighbors of new
listings
8. Out-of-town owners
9. Advertising for
specific properties
10. Moving companies
11. Furniture for sale
12. Business transfers
13. Homebuilders
14. Social farming
15. Attorneys/bankers
16. Referrals
LISTING: Working for Sellers
Seller Counseling Session-1
1. Prepare yourself
a. Dress professionally
b. Be prompt
c. Prepare CMA (handout #4)
2. Prepare prospective seller
a. Establish rapport
b. Agree on common agenda
c. Permission to ask questions
LISTING: Working for Sellers
Seller Counseling Session-2
Using Sellers Handbook (sample) as a guide
1. Discuss your role as advisor/advocate, your company &
yourself
2. Discuss your role as marketer
3. Discuss CMA (actives, solds, expireds) /importance of
pricing
4. Review sellers options
5. Review listing contract (sample & CD)
6. Discuss how you & selling agent are paid
7. Determine sellers motivation, timing
8. Discuss preparing the home for the buyers eyes (book)
LISTING: Working for Sellers
Seller Counseling Session-3
Ask: If we find a buyer today willing to pay
your price, are you ready to sell?
Then either
A. Present the listing contract again and
ask for their signatures OR
B. Ask them to review all the information
youve provided and make an
appointment to discuss any questions
and finalize the contract
LISTING: Working for Sellers
Marketing
1. Prepare MLS brochure for competitors
2. Put sign in yard, fill brochure box
3. Enlist sellers help in keeping brochure
box full
4. Put key box on front door
5. Give office showing instructions
6. Create advertising: Internet, newspaper,
flyers
7. Prepare Property Guide for inside home
LISTING: Working for Sellers
Communication
Communicate with your sellereven when
theres nothing to say!
1. Tell the seller what you are doing to
market the property
2. Collect feedback from showings, tell the
seller
3. Contact seller at least once a week
4. Review feedback with seller monthly,
discuss possible price change
5. Hold open houses
SELLING: Working for Buyers
Finding Potential Buyers
1. Your sellers!
2. If your sellers are
not buying here,
refer them to an
agent to which
theyre moving
3. Geographic farming
4. Social farming
5. Referrals from
professionals, other
agents, friends,
relatives


6. Your niche market
7. Home buying
seminars
8. Your web site
9. Divorce/marriage
10.Expanding families
11.Empty nesters
12.Just promoted/fired
13.Hold open houses
14.Opportunity time
15._______________

SELLING: Working for Buyers
Buyer Counseling Session-1
1. Prepare yourself
a. Dress professionally
b. Be prompt!
c. Prepare information on possible
properties
2. Prepare prospective buyer
a. Establish rapport
b. Agree on common agenda
c. Ask permission to ask questions

SELLING: Working for Buyers
Buyer Counseling Session-2
Using Buyers Handbook (sample) as a guide
1. Introduce yourself & your company
2. Explain your role as advisor and advocate
3. Review the steps involved in purchasing
4. Review due diligence between contract & closing
5. Review sample contracts
a. Buyer agency agreement (sample & CD)
b. Purchase agreement (sample & CD)
6. Discuss current market & available properties


SELLING: Working for Buyers
Buyer Counseling Session-3
7. Specify buyers wants & needs
8. Determine buyers financial
qualifications

Ask: If we find a property today that
meets your needs, will you be in a
position to buy?
SELLING: Working for Buyers
Buyer Counseling Session-4
Then either
A. Present the buyer agency
agreement again and ask for their
signatures OR
B. Ask them to review all the
information youve provided, make
an appointment to both finalize the
contract and show property

SELLING: Working for Buyers
Showing Properties
Selecting and previewing properties
1. Match buyers wants and needs
with currently available properties
2. Preview matches
3. Make appointments to show best
matches
4. Plan tour route
SELLING: Working for Buyers
Showing Tips
1. Play the priority game: keep focused
on just 2-3 properties
2. Compare pros/cons of properties
3. Encourage note taking
4. Encourage client opinions
5. Ask probing questions
6. Serve as a sounding board
7. Listen carefully
SELLING: Working for Buyers
Handling Objections
1. Always answer honestly
2. I dont know but Ill find out.
3. Restate objection as a question
4. Correct misinformation
5. Ask why questions carefully
6. Watch for buying signals
7. Have I answered all your concerns or
do you need more information?
SELLING: Working for Buyers


!!!LISTEN!!!
NEGOTIATING THE CONTRACT
Purchase & Sale Agreement
Essential Elements
1. Competent
parties
2. Timely
acceptance
3. Unique legal
4. Consideration
5. Mutual consent
Terms & Provisions
1. Price
2. Possession
3. Personal property
4. Means of conveyance
5. Pro-rations of taxes &
insurance
6. Closing costs
7. Contingencies
8. Property disclosures

NEGOTIATING THE CONTRACT
Presenting the Offer
1. Provide seller with a complete picture of
the buyer:
2. Present terms of offer
3. Explain contingencies/special conditions
4. Present buyers financial capability
5. Encourage acceptance
6. If seller is unwilling to accept as is,
negotiate using counterproposals (sample)

DUE DILIGENCE & CLOSING
1. Coordinate with listing agent
2. Prepare checklist of all steps & dates
3. Maintain transaction file of all meetings,
correspondence, documents, phone notes
4. Assist your client with timely information,
emotional support
5. Communicate regularly
6. Make sure all dates are met
7. Schedule & participate in closing

CLIENTS FOR LIFE!
1. Perform with highest possible
professionalism during transaction
2. Call on client shortly after closing
3. Keep in touch at least 4 times each year
4. Establish yourself as their professional
REALTOR
a. For their future real estate needs
b. To refer friends/relatives/colleagues
Ethics &
Professional Practice
1. It pays to do the right thing
2. Honest & ethical behavior bring rewards
3. The only answer to building a good,
lasting reputation
4. Never let the pursuit of money determine
your behavior
5. NARs Pathways to Professionalism
(handout #5): show respect to everyone!
Continuing Education:
Keeping Ahead of the Game
1. List the topics youd like to learn more
about: _________________________
2. Lets make a combined list.
3. Continuing education and training are
critical to your success in real estate.
4. Sources
5. Designations
6. Have an education goal every year.

We hope youve enjoyed this class.
We hope it will increase your
success.
Ive certainly enjoyed being with
you and have learned from you!

, !

Gail Lyons &
International Real Property Foundation