You may be faced with a number of challenges when selling a home on your own. Granted some homes actually do sell on their own (for sale by owner). The problem is – the stats are against you…
1. When you are selling on your own – you are basically waiting for a buyer to call you directly. This would be the same chances that a Realtor has of ‘double ending’ a sale – which amounts to the same thing – he or she gets a call directly from a buyer. The stats for this happening on MLS listed properties is less than 5%. Meaning that 95% of all sales comes through another buyer agent. SO – basically you are waiting for the same thing – a buyer to call you directly…..
2. When it comes right down to it – there are some homes that are just destined to sell on the MLS system. This could simply be that the demographic attracted to this type of home – prefers to work with a REALTOR®, or they are just not comfortable dealing with the owner directly. Or for more expensive homes – buyers are alittle more resistant or hesitant dealing either without representation or the owner directly.
3. The other resounding reason is really quite obvious: there are around ~3000 hungry Edmonton area REALTOR®’s all motivated to bring buyers through the door. This is quite a herd of sales people working on your behalf. Once a REALTOR® posts a property on line – it gets put into the general MLS mix and is open to all 3000 REALTOR®’S to help sell it. When you are selling on your own – you do not have this force working on your behalf. And keep in mind even with that force behind you – sometimes it still takes a while to sell. I can’t imagine how much longer it would take to sell that same property privately.

KENNEDY Real Estate understands that everybody has different needs for selling and a variety of methods to sell their property. The above is by no means a comprehensive list – but probably the most compelling.

** Please Note: At KENNEDY Real Estate, we offer a competitive (full) Buyer’s agent commission. After all – if 95% of all sales are brought in by the Buyers Agent -we certainly like to thank them with competitive compensation.

Jennifer Kennedy

Broker/Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate

Need to get YOUR home sold…click here.

Did you  know about our Staging Services?

Are You my Mommy?

Calling all Edmonton area dog lovers…a home is not a home without man’s best friend…(Cesar Milan)

Looking for a furry freind to call your own…why not adopt:

Resue For Life: Spruce Grove

Introducing: LEO!

Leo needs a foster home ASAP. He was adopted on the weekend and the cats in the family did not like Leo. She feels it would be best for Leo to go to a different family where all the members loved him. Can anyone foster this little guy? He is also up for adoption. Email Natalie@rescue4life.org

Everyone deserves a HOME to call their own..furry friends and all….

Jennifer Kennedy
Owner/Broker
KENNEDY Real Estate
Mom to 2 crazy canines: Rocky and Bo

Additional articles on our “furry” friends… 

One in our series of Seasonal Ads…Enjoy!!

To Find Out MORE on how we sell homes differently!

Check out our LIFESTYLE home searches!

Jennifer Kennedy

Broker Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate

These are before and after pictures of a unit that needed a total overhaul after the tenants moved out…well some of their stuff anyway…

Yikes! Its hard to believe that some people live this way…hoarding their lives away. This unit was rented out to seemingly nice folks. But they had a secret problem: they liked to collect things…lots and lots of things. Sadly, none of which included a garbage bag or a hanger or a plate to help with the ‘management’ of the ‘collection’.

How do you prevent such destruction from spiraling out of control as a Landlord? Well among other things: regular or ‘seasonal’ inspections of the property – to check on the furnace, water leaks or to complete any seasonal maintenance work. These ‘check ups’ will help keep your renters in check and ‘collections’ at bay.

In addition, the 24hr required notice to enter will not give enough time for cigarette smoke smell to dissipate. This is potentially even worse than hoarding because cigarette smoke attaches to everything and goes into the attic – causing lots and lots of work for you to repair.

Landlord and Tenant mantra: ” I’ll be good to you – you (renter) be good to me and together we will live happily ever after.”

Watch for the next article in the series : How to Find and Interview for Good Tenants

Jennifer Kennedy

Broker/Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate

Want to learn more about investment properties or properties with hidden potential contact us today!

See more Before and Afters here

St. Albert’s well known Red Willow Trail is 70 KM of strolling encounter. The trails take you along the Sturgeon River where you are able to revel in the excellence of the four seasons. Red Willow Park runs the full length of the river valley and connects to the man neighborhoods throughout the 70KM of trails. Find our excellent outside! St. Albert is one of the prettiest little metropolises in Canada with the abundance of green space, strolling trails, and parks. For more information on St. Albert call your Area Specialist .. Anna Bayne and she will find you some hidden gems in St. Albert.

www.liveinstalbert.com

Additional “Anna’s Advice” Articles…

Rescue for Life

‘Friday’ the pitbull needs a foster home by tomorrow. His family is moving and cannot take him with them anymore. We can not take him into the rescue until we have a foster home for him. He is great with kids and other dogs but has never met a cat. Please help Friday. He is a 1 year old guy who comes with everything he needs. Please give him a chance. Email natalie@rescue4life.org or call 780-221-9669.

Additional articles on our “furry” friends… 

Okay – SO this blog post may offend some folks – well perhaps alot of folks. I guess that all depends on YOUR voicemail and the recipients of your message. I will not take total credit for this rant – for it was a summer read of Jeffrey Gitomer’s ” Little Red Book of Selling” that gave me the encouragement to change things up alittle, think outside the box when it came to among other things – voicemail.

Does this sound familiar:

“Hi – You’ve reach Joe Kalupchuck, from ABC Realty. I’m either on the phone, with clients or driving right now. Please leave a message and I will return your call just as soon as I am able. Or for immediate assistance please call 780-trunk-number and have me paged. Thank you and have a nice day”.

Or same as above – but it starts with “Hi – You’ve reached Joe Kalupchuk, from ABC Realty. Your call is important to me….” blah blah blah same as above ending.

First off – the person who is calling you – really does not have the time nor the interest in ALL the things your are doing besides answering your phone. This is irrelevant to the caller – and takes waaaay too much time to listen to.

Second of all – you said you would return their call – but then you say ‘for immediate assistance call…’  Why? Why should your  caller call your trunk/pager number when it goes straight back to your phone that you (just) did not answer. Are we going in circles or what? Or are you saying that only if a person PAGES you, that you will return their call? Otherwise they take their chances on you taking your time returning your cell phone calls? Why should they get IMMEDIATE assistance if they have to hang up and call again and leave another message. Gosh wouldn’t it be MUCH faster if you told them to just leave you a message on your cell phone and you’ll return it asap. We all know that trunk/pager numbers go to your cell phone as well. It just seems so redundant to tell someone to hang up and call again for immediate assistance. When in fact that it is NOT immediate and in reality it would be much faster just to leave a message on your cell phone or text you? No?

Thirdly – ‘have a nice day’, ‘your call is important to me’ ‘I’m either on the phone, with clients, buying shoes, out to dinner,walking the dog…’ whatever – this is all useless info to your caller. Your caller is trying to get a hold of  YOU or leave YOU a message. Don’t assume your caller has all the time in the world to listen to all that useless information. Sorry – but its true. And especially if you have 10 bookings to make and all the Realtors have the same loooong voicemail….oooiiiigh. Not fun.

Lastly – as in the words of Jeffrey Gitomer – your voicemail is your voice to the world. Leave an imprint on all who call you. This is your chance to leave an impression that goes waaay beyond the sound of the beep (oh yah – that’s another useless tidbit – leave a message at the sound of the beep – really – really NO!). Give someone a reason to smile and  say “that was a really cool message – that is someone I could work with” or give them a reason to spread the love…’hey Susie , I called this Realtor, Joe Kalupchuck , and he had this really cool voicemail message…’ Get it? Got it. Good.

Happy Voice Mailing!

p.s. “Hi – You’ve reached Jennifer Kennedy. I’m out selling homes right now. With four teenagers to feed and two in braces, rest assured I’ll get back to you shortly. thank you!”

Additional “AGENT 101” Articles…

Jennifer Kennedy
Broker | Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate
Your Edmonton REALTOR® | Edmonton Home Stager

Call us today…780-485-3010 and GET SOLD!
Area Specialists | Lifestyle Marketing

REALTORS® : Looking for a great Team environment to grow your business…see our Brokerage Model for info on how to make that happen!

Rescue for Life

Hi I am April,

Very shy girl who has had a bit of a rough time with things. Will need a bit of vet care as my neck is a little bit scratched up but I will good to go in no time. I have lots of potential – just need a family who is willing to see that in me…

Please see details below on how you can help me….

Rescue for Life
2 Aspen Glen Drive
PO Box 9043
Spruce Grove, AB
Canada T7X 4H5

A cheque donation can be made out to Rescue for Life.
Donations can also be made through Paypal at www.rescue4life.org

Donations can also be made via Visa at the Crestwood Vet Clinic, under Rescue for Life account. (780) 444-7550.

Additional articles on our “furry” friends… 

At KENNEDY Real Estate we believe everyone should have a place to call home. We support Animal Rescue here in Alberta. A portion of all sales goes toward helping these critters find a place to call their own.

Rental Reno's that Last

The market is prime right now for investment purchases, with interest rates still low and inventory prices have dropped investors are starting to gobble up properties once again.

Take this one: Bought for $180,000 – invested another $15,000 to upgrade it so it will last another 20yrs. Maintenance free, all appliances replaced, kitchens and baths replaced, new baseboards, lighting and paint.

The exterior was transformed from the traditional piece of grass and patio stones – to a full deck on one side and patio stones/rock liner on the other. This way you do not have to rely on your tenant to take care of the grass. Inside – front entrance there is a commercial grade carpet glued down…to trap moisture and wik it away. No more lifting the carpet up to clean underneath it!.

Kitchen is Ikea cabinets – bought during their kitchen event…with 10% off – that allow you to either buy cabinet inserts – or drapes/rods. The tile backsplash is actual floor tile cut in thirds – cost effective and it looks great.

Half baths are great for pedistal sinks – but be sure to tile all around for the long haul. Tub surrounds are always replaced – most older ones do have mold behind – this is not good for the long run! All toilets were upgraded to a wider trap series…no more calls in the middel of the night with plugged/overflowing toilets! Yuck!

Nothing beats real hardwood! In this case a rustic Birch was chosen for its durability and ability to hide scratches.
All baseboards were replaced with a simple 1X3 – easy to install and keep clean and will last many move in’s ad out’s.
The little bit of effort makes for an easier to maintance investment for years to come!
Additional “Before & After Projects” Articles…

Jennifer Kennedy
Broker | Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate
Your Edmonton REALTOR® | Edmonton Home Stager

Call us today…780-485-3010 and GET SOLD!
Area Specialists | Lifestyle Marketing

REALTORS® : Looking for a great Team environment to grow your business…see our Brokerage Model for info on how to make that happen!

As many of you  know we run a Team Brokerage Model. I get asked often what that means. For me, it begins outside of the Boardroom and onto the Courts …where it all begins.

I did up this video as a keep sake for the Senior High VBall Team (& 2 of my boys #3,#5 yeah!!) for their year end party. The core of the Team had played together since the awkward junior highs years through to senior high. They saw each other through thick and thin, blemishes, girlfriends, exams… They built up a friendship and trust that was impenetrable both on and off the court. They achieved this by being part of the “Team”. Experiencing wins , losses, victories and disappointments – they saw it through together. And when they stepped out onto the court – their ability to have each others back – count on one another to see it through – played out in their final season: 15 wins in a row – and a win from behind down 18-24 – and came back to win 26-24 (and in vball circles – this is a big thing!). You see good TEAM work produces victories both on and off the court.

Another fine example comes to mind: The Boys on the Bus…remember? The Oilers of the Eighties – they too were a force to be reckoned with…and when they stepped onto the ice – the opponent felt it too. Everyone of those players understood what it meant to be part of a Team. When they stepped out on the ice – they had each others back – they went out into ‘battle’ together. Together you are stronger – when you go out as a force that supports ones another – and people you encounter will sense that too.

That is the atmosphere we are cultivating at KENNEDY Real Estate – our TEAM Brokerage Model – we have each others back. We support one another as we go out into ‘battle’, through the sharing of technology, experience, leads, training and mentoring and referrals.

The Real Estate industry is OUR ‘court’ and we intend to play the game as a Team – through thick and thin – good markets , slow markets…together we will see it through. We will play by example and lead our Team to many a victory!!

Wishing YOU all  great Teamwork!!

Additional “AGENT 101” Articles…

Jennifer Kennedy
Broker | Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate
Your Edmonton REALTOR® | Edmonton Home Stager

Call us today…780-485-3010 and GET SOLD!
Area Specialists | Lifestyle Marketing

REALTORS® : Looking for a great Team environment to grow your business…see our Brokerage Model for info on how to make that happen!