Ben Salem, Harris RE Coaching Client, Publishes Article in Forbes

Ben Salem, an elite-level producing agent and long-standing Harris Real Estate Coaching client, is the director of the Sports and Entertainment Division for Rodeo Realty in Southern California. As of August 2019, Salem is also a Forbes Magazine published real estate writer.

Salem writes that “white- glove service, ultra exclusivity and ultra discretion are paramount” to satisfy the needs of both sellers and buyers in a market shifting in favor of buyers.

Imagine, if you will, that a seller with a tight 30-day timeline to sell her house calls you. Why did this woman call you instead of the fifty plus other real estate agents who work her market? Because you sold her next-door neighbor’s home at its original listing price in less than 30 days and she wants you to do the same for her.

This scenario is the very scenario Salem describes in his Forbes article. “If a property needs to go within 30 days for the maximum amount of profit, you have to think through these four key factors before listing it.”

Here are Salem’s Key Factors:

1. Be open to change.
   1. Listen to the seller’s goals and then respond honestly to those goals.
      1. The seller wants to list and get the same or better price for her house that you were able to get for her neighbor in less than 30 days.
      2. However, this house is not comparable to her neighbor’s home in terms of upgrades and amenities.

• You respond honestly by saying that this seller could get the same or better price as her neighbor IF this seller agreed to change the countertops to marble, paint, update the flooring and revamp the landscaping.

1. You reiterate your response by asking this seller to choose between” profit or headache.”
2. Depending upon the seller’s circumstances, the seller may not want the headache and may then choose to lower the price.

1. Being open to change is dependent upon your being honest with the seller.

2. Get the timing right.
   1. In Southern California, the spring and summer are the best times to both buy and sell. Your market may have different optimum times for buying/selling. Know those optimum times and use them to your advantage.
   2. For sellers wanting to sell during the winter in Southern California, be honest with them and tell them to expect -15% less in terms of sale price.
   3. For buyers wanting to buy during the winter in Southern California, the winter months are the best months to “find deals.”
   4. Help your clients try to avoid being “have-to” sellers or buyers.
3. Consider the end-user.
   1. Salem advises agents to, right off the bat, find the right buyer.
   2. Every property is well suited to a particular lifestyle. Find the right buyer by determining the right lifestyle of that house.
   3. Create videos that reflect lifestyles where your ideal buyers are. If, for example, the property has four or five bedrooms, a den and a living room, chances are that property would suit a family with children. Your video would include brief coverage of the neighboring school(s), parks and bike paths to entice your ideal end-user or buyer.
   4. Also strategically consider where your end-use or buyer might view your video…YouTube, Instagram, Mansion Global?
4. Target your market
   1. Since it is up to you as the agent to find the ideal buyer to buy a home at a record price in record time, create “intriguing and exciting stories around your listing and connect your story content with people who want that lifestyle.”
   2. Salem suggests “teasing” ideal buyers with “disappearing” photos and videos that are available for only limited amounts of time. Disappearing photos translate into creating a sense of urgency to buy before someone else does.