Listing the Rome Way

Listing the Rome Way

If I can name a book Real Estate the Rome Way, I guess a post named Listing the Rome Way is my prerogative.

This post may cause a bit of controversy after all the comments on Margaret Woda's How Long Is Your Listing Agreement?, My listing agreement is for 12 months ...but this is the way I work with sellers!

My real estate business is based entirely on referrals...friends, former clients, commercial agents, attorneys, business professionals and even former real estate agents.

Sellers come to me to help them with the sale of their property – I don't go find them. No FSBOs, no expired, no post cards, no mail outs – heck, I don’t even carry business cards.

For most of my 20 years I have had a waiting list - more listings than I can handle at a time. My absolute maximum is 15 listings, or so I said in my book Real Estate the Rome Way, however now I have broken my own rule; I have 20.

One of my questions before accepting a listing “Are you 100% sure you want to work with me?”

That does not mean, "Will you try me for a few months and then switch to another agent?"

I am selective about who I work with, and I commit to these clients. I expect the same commitment in return…it is a bond.

They are chosen over another client, agreeing to spend my time, my emotions, my knowledge, my blogging, my photography, my creativity, my expertise and my finances to get them the best price, the best deal, and the smoothest transaction.

There is no 24 hour out…that to me is not a commitment.

When asked how long my listing period is, my answer is “Until the house is sold."

Now that can depend on many factors - their timing, their terms, and of course their price, though price is not always the most important factor.

Many of these listings have been on the market previously for long periods of time and with multiple agents...making it an uphill challenge.

Frequently the properties are quite unusual - not the typical cloneonial (a word that I coined to describe Maryland’s best sellers - a 4 bedroom 2.5 bath brick two story home in the “right” school system.)

Cloneonials are not the fun houses for me, but of course I have sold many of them and done it very well.

My challenging properties are the historic church, the 10,000' mansion in Baltimore City known as the Chanukah house, the 28 acre former ostrich farm with a cantilevered contemporary, the huge house with the purple and gold motif, the contemporary with no basement, a swimming pool and backing to the highway wall, or the house right on the railroad tracks.

These take imagination, creative advertising, speaking to many potential buyers and agents, and even an unusual open house! You do remember the video of the First Active Rain Open House is here!

How long is my listing agreement?

Until the house is sold!

Listing the Rome Way.