February 21, 2008
Creative Approaches to Selling Real Estate in Baldwin County
I’ve have noticed a lot of creative approaches to selling real estate in Baldwin County lately. Here are just a few:
- Homeowner’s Association dues paid for a year
- Insurance paid for a year with the purchase of a home or condo in Gulf Shores
- Free boat or car if you’ll buy this Orange Beach condo or home
- Free vacation to the islands with the purchase of this Fort Morgan beach condo
- $1,000, $2,000, $5,000 and I’ve even seen a $10,000 bonus to the selling agent if you will sell my real estate in Baldwin County.
I can’t remember seeing the free boat, car or vacation idea work, but I know of sales that have closed where the HOA dues or insurance have been paid at closing.
The selling bonus is a whole different deal, though. It’s pretty self-explanatory really. The seller offers X number of dollars to the buyer’s agent if he brings a buyer to closing on the real estate he has listed in Baldwin County. Now, it’s not illegal, but here is the problem that I have with it. I make my living selling real estate in Baldwin County.
Not only will I not let a selling bonus influence whether or not I show a property to a potential buyer, I will disclose to the buyer that a selling bonus is being offered and negotiate it out of the purchase price.
Here is the bottom line, in my not so humble opinion. The market, the buyers and sellers, determine the price at which real estate will be sold – and even whether it will be sold at all – as we have come to realize in the last two years. The real estate agents do not drive the market as some would have you to believe.
I would much rather see a property owner price his property competitively than offer a bonus to the selling agent.
If you own real estate in Baldwin County and have been thinking of selling, I would welcome your call or e-mail. I’ll be happy to do a Price Analysis and go over a marketing plan to get your property sold!