Do you have your ice pick at the ready?

I am currently working on the most amazing marketing course, it’s making me look at our industry with a new intensity. Whilst I recognise my ICA or ideal customer avatar, I am aware you are never too smart or too old to learn, so I decided to re-think and re-evaluate NOT what I thought my clients wanted, but most importantly what they actually think. I began interviewing clients past and present and during these interviews, I have been reminded that selling a home is a journey depending on several key factors, with a clearly defined start, middle and end. The most important choice home sellers make is which agent they choose. This will impact hugely on the journey and got me thinking about the following metaphor and for example if you were going to climb Everest would you listen to, or take advice from, someone who has never climbed a mountain before?

The next stage of marketing your property starts with the planning and preparation stage. Don’t worry I am not going to go on about decluttering and lashings of magnolia paint- I have done that already, but if you were going to climb Everest would you get on that plane without packing the necessary equipment? A strong pair of boots, some locking carabiners and an Alpine ice axe at the very least. Now before we even get to choosing the best team of Sherpas (this is where I would be spending my money) we need to have a plan, a time frame and an outcome to ensure a successful climb. I think we are all agreed your home will hobble to market if you don’t do the necessary preparation of cleaning and a fresh lick of paint before calling out the dreaded estate agents, which brings me back to my previous mention of the BEST team of Sherpas ever.I want the best team to take me up the mountain/market my property.  You can clearly draw the comparison yourself-the actual job role definition of a team of Sherpas is as follows-  local people who are highly skilled and experienced climbers. They are paid to do things such as prepare the route for climbers to follow, fix ropes in place and carry the necessary climbing kit up the mountain. Climbing Everest is tough and being a Sherpa is a really risky job.  Now imagine if you were really making this comparison would the lowest FEE be your choice, I don’t think so. Would you plump for experience and trust from your agent? That would be a big one for me! If I am hanging off the side of the mountain, I want a team with skills to get me through any obstacle and safely down the other side.

Once you have chosen your agent/sherpa of choice you can begin your marketing/climb and sit back whilst your home is presented as it should, traversing the slopes and crossing the crevasse with ease with your best sherpa leading  you into the property market, preparing your home for viewings, launching you onto the correct platforms to reach the heady heights of summit/offer.

So we did it! we summited! We accepted our offer! We might even need a little oxygen hit at this point with all the excitement but hold on tight there is no base jumping off Everest the air is too thin. We need to accept the offer, instruct a lawyer, and set this descent in motion, this is when our Sherpas really earn their stripes.  The hard work really starts during the conveyancing process. There are unforeseen rock falls, obstacles and tricky icefields to navigate.  We have difficult survey reports to tackle,  building regulations to certificate and listed buildings and byways laws to navigate. It usually gets a little fraught and a calm experienced agent is a necessity to get down this mountain.  Once base camp is in sight we can confidently romp home with no more unexpected delays, removals have been booked, we are on the home strait to completion and keys.