Finding Your Best Elk Grove Real Estate Agent Has Nothing to Do With Commission

When the first words out of a potential seller’s lips in Elk Grove are how much is your commission, I figure I’m talking with a person who doesn’t really understand the value of an excellent Elk Grove real estate agent — whose clients call her the best Elk Grove agent they’ve ever hired. In fact, it’s quite likely the individual believes all real estate agents are the same, which is too bad, and the person sees no value in paying an agent her worth because, down deep, they believe the agent is “worthless but necessary.” It’s an incredible insult, yet the caller sees it as shrewd negotiating and continues to try to kick the commission down a percentage point or two. These sellers are simply focusing on the wrong thing.

I always tell sellers that they can find a cheaper agent and an agent who will offer discounted and lesser services. Although all commissions are negotiable, I charge the same percentage I have always charged for the past 40 years. In exchange, they’ll get superior service, and my expertise will more than pay back more than my commission because they’ll probably get more for their home and enjoy a smooth escrow. I manage details, stay on top of my transactions and promptly communicate.

This is why I was not completely stunned when clients decided I deserved more than my commission, but I was stunned by their expression of gratitude. These were delightful sellers I met over FaceTime when I put a contractor’s box on their home and took them on a virtual tour in real time. They lived out of state. I helped them to prepare their home for sale, and gave them advice about what they needed to do to appeal to today’s Elk Grove home buyers.

Later, held numerous open houses, plastered the home everywhere online through extensive marketing, and followed up on every single showing. Some buyers who came through the open houses thought the home was priced too high — based on smaller homes in the neighborhood that sold for less. For some stupid reason, they wanted to pay the same price for a big home as for a small home. But I championed on and, sure enough, this was one of the few homes in Elk Grove that sold for more than list price.

The sellers sent me an unexpected Christmas gift from Nordstrom, an expensive perfume set. Last week, I received a bottle of Bollinger Cuvee Champagne. When we closed escrow on Friday, a Nordstrom gift box arrived, containing a certificate easily exchangeable for a pair of Jimmy Choos. Holy cow! When I thanked them profusely for such overwhelming generosity, they responded: “You really went above and beyond and felt put in effort on our behalf greater than we have seen from any other REALTOR. We felt that for you to simply get the same rewards as a REALTOR doing just what they needed to wasn’t appropriate.”

So don’t listen to this full-service Elk Grove agent substantiate her commission, listen to happy sellers. If you don’t feel this way about your agent, maybe you’re working with the wrong agent.