THE ONE QUESTION YOU MUST ASK

WELCOME

Do More in 2024

Do you want to have the best 2024 ever? Because it’s not just possible, it’s probable. To make your 2024 shine like a diamond, there’s one simple question y’all must ask every single person in your orbit.

So, this week, I’ll break down who and what to ask because I swear to you, it can be just that easy. Plus, I’ll share how even Glennda can get out-Glennda’d sometimes. (And I’m not mad about it!)

No time to waste, let’s hop to it!

THE REALITY OF REAL ESTATE

Regrets, They Have a Few

I just read an article about how almost 90% of Millennials have regrets about making their first home purchase. Ninety percent!

Now, while this statistic sounds pretty dang horrific, let’s break down the data. Of this 90%:

• 27% regret the location they chose

• 26% regret the neighbors who surround their home

• 25% regret the interest rate they paid

I believe the best way to deal with buyers’ remorse is to avoid it entirely and that’s where we real estate agents come in. The more we educate our buyers on every aspect of home buying, from their perceptions on “timing the market” to the true cost of home ownership to how their potential neighborhood will fit with their lifestyle, the happier they’ll be.

For example, the young, child-free professional probably isn’t going to love a family neighborhood, even if the home itself ticks all the boxes. If that new buyer is the type to sleep off a big Saturday night, the last thing they want is to hear is all the neighborhood dads running leaf blowers at the butt-crack of dawn on Sunday morning before church. That buyer is not going to care how top-of-the-line the kitchen appliances are, or how spacious their dressing room is. They just want some quiet, and maybe an Advil.

If their first agents didn’t do all they could to educate these remorseful buyers, than y’all can… as their listing agent.

STORYTIME WITH GLENNDA

The Ask

If I have learned anything, it’s that even Glennda Baker has room for improvement.

Now, to backtrack, there’s one hard and fast question every agent should ask every homeowner they come across, whether they’re cold calling, door knocking, or just in casual conversation. So often I talk to people and they tell me that they’re in their dream house, that they’re going to cling to that interest rate, that the only way they’re going to leave their home is feet first. Sometimes I’ll joke, “I’ll leave you my business card for when your kids want to sell, so they know you have a real estate agent.”

Even when people say, “No, I’m never leaving, I love this place too much,” I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t ask, “At what price are you a seller?” It’s amazing how often people who’d never imagine selling suddenly can imagine selling when they learn about their home’s appreciation.

Earlier in the month, I got a call from an agent at the Keller Williams office. The agent—let’s call her Suzy—was calling me about the property I’d just sold at 123 Banana Street. She said, “Hey, Glennda, this is Suzy. I saw that you went under contract really quickly at 123 Banana Street. Did you have multiple offers?”

Of course I told her the truth because I was proud of it—we had five offers. “Wow, that’s so great,” she said. “Do you have backup offers?”

Again, I was pleased as a pig in a puddle to tell her, “I do have backup offers. Why, do you have someone who’s interested?”

She said to me, “Thank you so much for telling me. See, I was asking because I saw the neighborhood and I have somebody who’d have been interested.”

We hung up and I went about my day. But do y’all know what Suzy did? She picked up the phone and called every damn person in that neighborhood, telling them that 123 Banana Street had gone under contract with five offers and backup offers, and if they were thinking about selling, she’d love to talk with them to get their home sold. And oh, my stars, she got a listing—from my sale!

Now, this wasn’t some shark who’d been selling real estate since Jesus was a baby. No, ma’am. She was literally a brand new agent and she’d gone to some class where they suggested she try this. (The only reason I know this is that she happened to call a friend of mine who told me.)

Now, I’m not mad at Suzy. Honestly, I’m impressed with her hustle. There was nothing keeping me from calling every home in that neighborhood, except I just didn’t do it because I had too much other business. I wasn’t calling around about listings, so Suzy may as well have done it. I respect anyone trying to drum up business as long as their business model is ethical. And even if we’d both called every neighbor, I’d likely have gotten half the listings and she’d have gotten half.

Here’s the thing—there’s plenty of business for us all. I don’t begrudge anyone a great business model and I think she did a fantastic job. That’s because she had courage to go around and ask everyone, “At what price are you a seller?” Sometimes it’s just that simple.

Now, when you do get the listing appointment, remember this:

@glenndabaker

On the listing appointment talk high-level and big bites! #GlenndaBaker #RealEstate #AtlantaReal estate #RealEstateTick-tock #NewAgent #Li... See more

GLENNDAISM

My Final Word