When it comes to making money or saving money in real estate, knowledge is power. Understand these two simple secrets and I guarantee you will save.

I couldn’t begin to count how many times I’ve had to say this one simple statement to hammer home what’s most important when selling a home. The statement that gets to the heart of the big secret that the real estate industry doesn’t want you hear.

Okay, so what’s the big secret? and what’s the statement I say over and over when sitting with sellers?

BUYERS DON’T CARE! Buyers don’t care what colour the sign is on your lawn. Buyers don’t care if your listing agents face is on every bus bench in the community. And buyers don’t care if you’ve missed your last three car payments! Buyer’s ONLY care that your home meets their needs, and that they can achieve it financially. Period!

The real estate market is highly competitive, and when sellers are seeking an agent, they are presented with so many options. And like most consumer products, people tend to pay hundreds, even thousands more to get the big brand or the fancy options. And most see true value in that. Sure, some will say the Hyundai will get you home from work in the same amount of time and for much less than the Escalade will, but have you ever driven an Escalade!

Unfortunately, real estate is very different from the Escalade or Rolex that can give you years of pleasure and pride. Selling your home is hopefully a short-term exercise, and paying for expensive options almost never puts more money in your pocket, and it never gives you long lasting joy.

That leads to the next big secret. GIMMICKS DON’T SELL HOMES. THEY ONLY COST YOU A LOT OF MONEY. Any marketing of your home outside of the local MLS System™ and Realtor.ca, is almost always marketing done by the agent to attract other sellers, not buyers. Now that might not sit well with the industry, we’re almost programmed to believe in the opposite. There are thousands of agents in the industry, and the bigger battle for us is simply standing out, and sadly, gimmicky marketing is often the best way to do that. Open houses, fancy websites, ads in glossy magazines, or cool videos on social media won’t put more money in your pocket, nor will they sell your home faster! They’ll just cost you thousands of your hard-earned equity.

Sure, there are one offs! Like when someone walking by an open house might drop in and make the decision to buy your home on a whim. There might even be that rare occasion where someone browsing their friends Facebook falls in love with your home… but are you willing to pay thousands for that?

Here is what you do need: Good advice and good core marketing are the key to success, and you shouldn’t have to pay thousands to get it.

When it comes to advice, A good honest Realtor will always tell you what you need to hear to sell your home, not what you want to hear just to get it listed.

Good Realtors are invaluable. Good Realtors will challenge you. Good Realtors will always put your best interests first. And good Realtors always put more money in your pocket. However, that value comes in the form of challenging and informing you. Educating you, and empowering you to make better, smarter selling decisions. No gimmicks required!

A buyers first impression of your home is often your pictures. Great photography allows buyers to emotionally connect with your home. The description of your home should be thoughtful and informative. A virtual tour gives buyers easy access to your home from anywhere across the globe, no matter what time of the day it is. And yes! fresh, professional looking signage. These are the things buyers see and look for, and except for the signage, they’re all attached directly to the local MLS System™ and Realtor.ca. There simply is no better exposure for your home.

Buyers don’t care. Gimmicks won’t sell your home. A good honest Realtors advice in invaluable, and good simple marketing. If you know and understand these secrets, then you’re likely to make better choices when selling your home, and I guarantee you will put thousands more dollars in your pocket.

My name is Rod Thompson, and if you’re thinking of selling or buying a home or know someone who is… then I’d love to help. Sell Smart folks!