(Listing photographs also by B. St.Pierre Studio)
Copy for the above Case Study formatted as a single page marketing piece:
What strengths and qualities do you want from your realtor when selling your home?
Yes, we all want "that they sell it fast and get a good price!" .
But that's not really a strength or quality, is it. No, that is a desired outcome.
What skills, what traits, what experience must that person have, to get you to that day where you are signing the papers and receiving that check -
THAT is the REAL question.
Take the Robinson home as an example.
Carla was not the owner of the home, technically, but as Trustee for her deceased sister's estate, she had all the worries, authority and responsibility of a home owner, with barely contained emotional baggage on the side. This home was built by Carla and her husband for her sister and nephew, to bring them from 1600 miles away to living next door as the sister battled a war with a disease that was certain to win, and eventually did. The property, abutting Carla's home, held so many ghosts of the years of planning, the challenge to build with their own hands and provide the sister with her dream home, the growth of the nephew from grade-schooler to now orphaned in his mid-twenties, watching a painful decline with medical disabilities and disappointments, plus all the memorable shared moments between the two families that those years provided, and then finally, the few years without her since her death.
Though not the home owner either, the son was allowed to remain in the house as part of the Trust that would be coming to him at certain ages, in increments set up by his mother. Being young, he made some choices during that time that were not good for the property; neglected things he should have paid attention to, invited others to live with him who actually caused damage, made repairs and plans for change that he was not qualified to do with any measure of experience, and felt a right of ownership that he believed justified his not respecting Carla's responsibility to the property held in his interest. Over time during this process, a good relationship between Carla and her nephew had severely taken a hit.
They agreed it was time to sell.
In comes Larry Kittle.
Dare I say, riding on a white steed? You might think that's a stretch, but read on...
Says Carla about her experience in working with Larry Kittle...
Larry was calm and patient. He listened when I told him our story, the years of struggle in just
getting to today, what was behind the high level of frustration we were all at, and our desire
to sell the property without making the relationship between myself and my nephew any worse.
It was a very trying and sad time for us both. We’d been through a lot. He lost his mom. I lost
my sister. He was a young man who wanted independence, but in living on the property, was
under my scrutiny, because of my responsibility as Trustee of the Estate. Even though we agreed
that it was time to sell, we had different ideas on how that would happen. We seemed to be on
opposite sides on everything, though we had a common end goal.
We had to also move a tenant out even before we could photograph the home for the listing.
I think everything he owned was crammed into his room, plus I was unhappy to discover he was
cooking and eating all his meals in there. At the same time, we were working against the clock
on a prime selling season coming to an end while we worked to get the house on the market.
There were times when Larry would have to contact BOTH my nephew and myself in order to
be sure it was ok to show the house. Never did he express any frustration with us, for which
I am very grateful, and he was always just a phone call away as we worked through the terms
of the sale on the VA Loan the buyer was applying for.
This was all a brand new experience for me, very time consuming and every “next thing” I had
to do, like having a new water system installed, was an unhappy surprise. Larry walked me
through every single one, and helped me whenever he could be the one to there on the property.
The things that I would naturally expect from a qualified Seller’s Agent were never in question
with Larry. He knew his stuff. He priced the property appropriately for the market, he re-
assured me during times of no inquiries, guided me through the offers and what my options
were, respected my decisions and got us to a closing with a price that I felt would have made my
sister happy for the Estate she had left to her son.
It was the emotional aspect that we brought into it, and how Larry dealt with it so well, that I
think every person considering selling their home should know about. I wanted to tell my
story, so that others needing someone with these professional qualities will know that this is a
person you can count on. Selling a house is emotional even under the most perfect and happy
circumstances. Having the ability to deal with the not-so-perfect situations is very important,
and a trait that Larry Kittle possesses in abundance.
As stated as #4 in this article, 8 Expert Qualities that make a Good Real Estate Agent , "They're client motivated"... “Buying and selling houses can be stressful and it’s important for the agent to make sure that the client is feeling supported and happy.”
http://www.realestate.com.au/advice/8-qualities-good-agent/
Larry Kittle is a Re/Max Properties Sales Associate specializing in properties in Southern NH. His goal for every client, is to surpass their expectations in every way possible, and become "Your Realtor For Life!"
Larry Kittle, 603-589-2336, [email protected], http://www.larrykittle.com/
Copy for the above Case Study formatted as a single page marketing piece:
What strengths and qualities do you want from your realtor when selling your home?
Yes, we all want "that they sell it fast and get a good price!" .
But that's not really a strength or quality, is it. No, that is a desired outcome.
What skills, what traits, what experience must that person have, to get you to that day where you are signing the papers and receiving that check -
THAT is the REAL question.
Take the Robinson home as an example.
Carla was not the owner of the home, technically, but as Trustee for her deceased sister's estate, she had all the worries, authority and responsibility of a home owner, with barely contained emotional baggage on the side. This home was built by Carla and her husband for her sister and nephew, to bring them from 1600 miles away to living next door as the sister battled a war with a disease that was certain to win, and eventually did. The property, abutting Carla's home, held so many ghosts of the years of planning, the challenge to build with their own hands and provide the sister with her dream home, the growth of the nephew from grade-schooler to now orphaned in his mid-twenties, watching a painful decline with medical disabilities and disappointments, plus all the memorable shared moments between the two families that those years provided, and then finally, the few years without her since her death.
Though not the home owner either, the son was allowed to remain in the house as part of the Trust that would be coming to him at certain ages, in increments set up by his mother. Being young, he made some choices during that time that were not good for the property; neglected things he should have paid attention to, invited others to live with him who actually caused damage, made repairs and plans for change that he was not qualified to do with any measure of experience, and felt a right of ownership that he believed justified his not respecting Carla's responsibility to the property held in his interest. Over time during this process, a good relationship between Carla and her nephew had severely taken a hit.
They agreed it was time to sell.
In comes Larry Kittle.
Dare I say, riding on a white steed? You might think that's a stretch, but read on...
- We have - a young man, his girlfriend and their dog, who are insisting they should be able to remain in residence until a closing.
- We have - an additional tenant to consider as he makes plans to vacate and move his total life's possessions out of the bedroom he was living in.
- We have - a client, Carla, stressed and frustrated, on the brink of exploding at any small obstacle that threatened bringing what had become a very painful ordeal, to a close.
- Add to that - putting on the market a quality home that should command a nice price, but at the wrong time of year, with floors unfinished because rugs had been ripped up and not replaced, other rugs worn through and additionally chewed in places, appliances stained beyond repair, and a little freshening up and painting in each room not possible but would go a long way towards an impressive showing.
- And finally - discovering that the offer is coming from a potential buyer intending to use a VA loan, which allows no unfinished floors and demands certain tests of air and water plus certified compliance of any necessary remediation
Says Carla about her experience in working with Larry Kittle...
Larry was calm and patient. He listened when I told him our story, the years of struggle in just
getting to today, what was behind the high level of frustration we were all at, and our desire
to sell the property without making the relationship between myself and my nephew any worse.
It was a very trying and sad time for us both. We’d been through a lot. He lost his mom. I lost
my sister. He was a young man who wanted independence, but in living on the property, was
under my scrutiny, because of my responsibility as Trustee of the Estate. Even though we agreed
that it was time to sell, we had different ideas on how that would happen. We seemed to be on
opposite sides on everything, though we had a common end goal.
We had to also move a tenant out even before we could photograph the home for the listing.
I think everything he owned was crammed into his room, plus I was unhappy to discover he was
cooking and eating all his meals in there. At the same time, we were working against the clock
on a prime selling season coming to an end while we worked to get the house on the market.
There were times when Larry would have to contact BOTH my nephew and myself in order to
be sure it was ok to show the house. Never did he express any frustration with us, for which
I am very grateful, and he was always just a phone call away as we worked through the terms
of the sale on the VA Loan the buyer was applying for.
This was all a brand new experience for me, very time consuming and every “next thing” I had
to do, like having a new water system installed, was an unhappy surprise. Larry walked me
through every single one, and helped me whenever he could be the one to there on the property.
The things that I would naturally expect from a qualified Seller’s Agent were never in question
with Larry. He knew his stuff. He priced the property appropriately for the market, he re-
assured me during times of no inquiries, guided me through the offers and what my options
were, respected my decisions and got us to a closing with a price that I felt would have made my
sister happy for the Estate she had left to her son.
It was the emotional aspect that we brought into it, and how Larry dealt with it so well, that I
think every person considering selling their home should know about. I wanted to tell my
story, so that others needing someone with these professional qualities will know that this is a
person you can count on. Selling a house is emotional even under the most perfect and happy
circumstances. Having the ability to deal with the not-so-perfect situations is very important,
and a trait that Larry Kittle possesses in abundance.
As stated as #4 in this article, 8 Expert Qualities that make a Good Real Estate Agent , "They're client motivated"... “Buying and selling houses can be stressful and it’s important for the agent to make sure that the client is feeling supported and happy.”
http://www.realestate.com.au/advice/8-qualities-good-agent/
Larry Kittle is a Re/Max Properties Sales Associate specializing in properties in Southern NH. His goal for every client, is to surpass their expectations in every way possible, and become "Your Realtor For Life!"
Larry Kittle, 603-589-2336, [email protected], http://www.larrykittle.com/
