Sellers, The Top Agent Isn't Always The Best!

Hello Naples Friends,

There's been quite a shake up when it comes to which Naples real estate agents are holding the listing lionshare of some of our favorite Naples neighborhoods and Naples lifestyle properties.
It's a tough competition to obtain and maintain the lionshare of anything and top listing positions in Naples real estate is no stranger to volatility.
Chances are if you own a Naples luxury property, your business acumen is considerably higher than the typical homeowner.  A large majority of you are business owners or have made your career doing lots of tasks similar to many of the aspects in which real estate is related.  Many of you have bought and sold many properties and are no stranger to how the process works even if it's orchestrated a little bit differently here than where you mainly reside.
That doesn't prevent you from finding a sort of luxury in the idea knowing that there's that one guy or girl who handles your market exceptionally making your choice to list with that person an easy decision...but not so fast.
Is the top agent in your neighborhood really the best?
As an example I pulled the data of a very popular neighborhood in Naples. Of the 7 properties that sold during this time line, one agent had the listing on 4 of those properties that sold and 3 other listing agents had a listing that sold.  That is quite impressive.  Let's see how the stats compared:
Average market time for ring leader = 319 days
Average market time for 3 agents combined = 232
It took ring leader 39% more time to sell those listings than it did for the others.
Average list price to sales price ratio for ring leader = 87%
Average list price to sales price ratio for 3 agents combined = 89%
Ok, so it took the ringleader 39% more time to negotiate 2% less of list price. WOW
The ringleader sold their own listing once out of the four properties and was not the selling agent on any of the other three.
Let's take a look at some logistics.
When agents manage an enormous amount of listings, clearly they can't do it alone.
Showings:
Most of you who want your Naples property listed by a rock star prefer for the agent to accompany all showings. Sure, but during season, the ring leader simply can't be everywhere every time.  The solution?

• Get a team.
• Hire help.
• Refuse the showing.

That third one is a downer but it happens all the time. There are a few locations in town where I know if I don't have at least a 24 hour notice...I will have trouble getting my buyer in the property based on scheduling logistics alone. I also know when I schedule with one particular ring leader they will have unlicensed staff showing the property which means they are unable to answer every question my buyer asks....probably not the best way to conduct business.
Open Houses:(wait Shannon open houses are a waste of time and nobody ever buys property at an open house. Really? Then why did I sell my listing at an open house last weekend?)
What ring leaders do for open houses:

• Alternate open houses between listings and talk about there other listings at that open house. They may even close your open house to show your competitors but they would do the same for you so it's ok. Right?
• Place inexperienced, sometimes even unlicensed people on your open house so they can still "hold your property open" but if anybody asks questions...well, "I can call the listing agent (hope they answer) get your phone number, email address and get back to you"...blah blah blah. Probably not best business practice.
• Tell you what a big waste of time they are letting your property sit quietly unexposed.

In all seriousness, it isn't the inability to answer questions that is the big deal killer here. It the inability to close the deal. The percentage of agents around the globe who actually ask for the business at an open house is staggeringly low. My first Naples, Florida open house experience was with one of the most successful agents in Naples. We walked into her 4 million dollar listing and found her perched on a 20 dollar lawn chair, reading a newspaper. She raised her hand above the paper and waved it around and said, "take a look around". We toured the house and came back to the entry. She exclaimed, "thanks for coming by". We never saw her face. I thought to myself, ahhh this selling thing in Naples is going to be easy...(admittedly, I was a little off on that one). This is why I have hand selected and trained the help of experienced and professional closers to host my open houses. They are some of the best closers in the industry and you can also bet they know the answers to the top 500 questions that could be asked on every listing.
Advertising:
The easiest trick in the book is to buy the listings in a market. Agents do this by throwing literally hundereds and thousands of dollars at print marketing to capture the hearts of sellers despite the fact that over 90% of home buyers today use the Internet to find their property.  Of that 90%, 47% of those buyers found the exact home they purchased on the Internet while 33% of them used an agent to find their property. (These stats were taken from the National Association of REALTORS 2012 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers report). This has been going on for years but the average consumer is completely unaware.  If you want to expose your property to the highest number of ready, willing and able buyers. You MUST be seen on the Internet.
Negotiating:
I possess one of the most comprehensive negotiating strategies in the Naples real estate market. Some of what I know I learned through classes and books. Some of what I know came from some of my best clients and colleagues and some of what I adopted through bloody knuckle experience. I hear stories all the time of how deals went south and that unfortunately is what sometimes goes down. The agent you choose can sometimes make or break your deal despite the fact that both the buyer and the seller want it to happen. That's why it's imperative to know the market, the agents in the market and the art of keeping your deal together when that is the goal or believe it or not, blowing it up because on some occasion that's the goal too.
Selling your Naples luxury real estate will be a great deal more enjoyable simply by choosing the BEST person for the job.
I hope you'll consider using us. We will make it a great experience.
For more information on listing your Naples luxury property or to set an appointment. Simply contact me direct.
Best Regards,
Shannon Lefevre, PA
Your Naples Smart Girl!
Shannon@shannon.com
239-595-6223

Prepare For Naples Real Estate Today For The Wants Of Tomorrow!

Many of us have either heard or been  a part of horrible real estate buying experiences and while much of that responsibility may be on the part of the agent.  Some of that, believe it or not, may be on the part of the buyer.  Here are some tips to accomplish the most on your next Naples real estate purchasing experience.

Contact me as early as possible with as much information as possible.  The more I know, the better I serve. I'm able to compile a ton of information for you before you so we don't have to do very much fact finding by the time you get here.  While some of what I learn about you happens during the viewing process, I have found the more I know you, the more I know what you'll be purchasing thus leaving more free time for you to do things you really want to do.  It used to be that people came to look at real estate for days, weeks and even months.  Most of my clientele really doesn't want to spend a lot of time anymore and would prefer to hang out on the golf course or the beach.  We can do that if we're prepared.

The other thing about planning early (especially between December-April) is that I have a better chance of getting you in everything you want to see.  Many people are in residence during this time of year and simply won't drop everything to accommodate your showing.  Sounds funny but Naples is the land of enjoyment and you know as well as I do nobody enjoys having to change entertaining or relaxing plans because of somebody else's inability to plan ahead.  Most sellers assume if you're expecting to see something without notice means you are not a serious buyer.  You know as well as I do that's not always the case. Besides, do you really want to buy something that "is acceptable" or do you want to buy the best out of all currently available options?  Many Naples luxury properties require a 24 hour notice and although we call to see if we can make exceptions, the odds are probably less than 50% sellers will accommodate ESPECIALLY if they're in residence.  Help me help you get into everything that interests you!

It's ok if you don't exactly know what you want to buy.  I'm at a point in my Naples career that if you talk (or type) long enough, I can usually identify what you will like before sometimes you can.  I know it sounds funny but just yesterday I met with some people who thought they were looking for one type of product that seemed entirely out of their price range but after a few minutes discussing their overall objective, we discovered we could easily accomplish their goal.  My community intelligence coupled with whatever partial vision you may have can help you get the Naples property you will LOVE!

Of course things come up or we get crazy ideas on the spur of the moment. For that reason I'm spending everyday implementing new ways to make purchasing Naples real estate easier for you.  Knowing some of you, "last minute arrivals" are out there and being prepared for you is one of our focuses that puts our team ahead of the rest. 

We're ready for you even when you aren't so give us a shout.  While I may not be working with you personally, I now have a whole team of skilled, proven professionals who are prepared to respond when you need us.

Best Regards,

Shannon Lefevre, PA
Your Naples Smart Girl!