he/she will get as many prospective buyers through the home as possible. It doesn't matter whether they are working with him/her or another company or agent.

If people are coming through the seller's door and no offers are being made, the problem is either the price or the presentation of the home.

There are three things that sell a home — promotion (marketing), price and presentation (condition). If the buyers are coming through, the agent is performing his/her promotion function.

The seller must then examine the asking price and the home's condition. If buyers aren't coming in at all, there is either a problem with the pricing or the promotion.

Sometimes the promotional efforts are in place, but people still aren't coming to look at the home. Frequently that suggests that the home may be so overpriced (as judged by the marketplace) that buyers won't even bother to come see it.

Let's get back to the listing agent. Of course the listing agent would love to "sell it himself/herself." However, if he/she limited marketing efforts just to the general public (direct buyers), the seller would be missing out on a great many potential buyers — buyers that are already working with other agents.

The listing agent's job is to let the entire world know that the seller wants to sell his/her home so as to maximize the possibility that the perfect buyer will see it and buy it. The most important thing is to get the home sold!

As the number one seller of homes in the 30189 zip code, Gina's team members are recognized as the experts in helping people buy and sell Towne Lake area homes. We hope that you love Gina's magazine, The TowneLaker, and that you will think of us, CENTURY 21 Advantage, first when you need to buy, sell, or lease real estate in the Towne Lake area.

 Visit us at ginacarr.com or
viewtownelakehomes.com.

The Carr Report

Who Sold My House?

Gina Carr,
Advantage Team Leader.

Last year I sold my home in Jonesboro and moved to Towne Lake. I listed it with one agent, but a different agent brought the person who bought it. Which agent actually "sold" my home?

The answer is, they both did. Let me explain.

In this age of multiple listing services and co-oping brokers, it is not likely that the agent that lists your home will be the one that sells it (brings the buyer). In fact, the odds are stacked against it. Most transactions in metropolitan Atlanta are co-oped. That means that the agent that lists the home and the agent that brings the buyer are not even from the same firm. The hidden assumption in a question like this is that the listing agent somehow "failed" if he/she didn't personally bring the buyer that purchased the home. This is just not true.

The correct answer to the question of "who sold the house" is that they both did — legally and practically. The agent that brought the buyer never would have known about the house being for sale if not for the marketing efforts of the listing agent. I am frequently perplexed when I get a call from an unhappy home seller (who is listed with another company and wants to switch).

"I'm not happy with my agent," it usually starts off.

Donning my imaginary doctor's robe and stethoscope, I begin to analyze the patient to find out what the true problem is. Is the problem the home itself? Perhaps it's the market? Or, is it indeed the real estate agent? "Are you getting many showings?" is a top question on my diagnosis list.

"Oh yeah. There are people coming through here every day! But my agent has only brought one person!" the seller usually exclaims in a frustrated tone.

Herein lies the rub.

The hard, sad truth is this: if people (agents with buyers from any company) are coming through the seller's door, the problem is not the agent. The agent is doing his/her job. Of course, the agent's job is to get the home sold. To do that best,

Property Value Tip of the Month

An easy way to bring up local property values is to clean up our neighborhoods and parkways — literally.

When a prospective buyer drives through a neighborhood and sees bottles, papers, cups, etc., he/she gets the feeling that the people who live there just don't care. Just like a well-kept home, a well-kept neighborhood projects the image that people care about their neighborhood. Let's clean it up!!