The most expected answer to the title question is money. Every seller naturally wants (and often needs) all the money they can get out of the sale of their home. It seems reasonable that the less they pay in commission the more money in their pocket at the end of the day. At first glance this sounds logical, but in real life, things are not usually that simple. (More on this in another blog) 

I think there is a deeper reason, though, and it’s trust. Looking at the real estate industry from the outside, it may seem like most agents are all the same; they talk about how awesome they are, they brag about sales and awards, how cutting-edge their marketing plan is and seem to roll in, not do too much work and roll out with your money. 

The questions going through a seller mind are:

Can I trust you?

Are you going to do what's best for me?

How do your skills benefit me?

I must admit, when I first got into real estate professionally, I was a bit embarrassed to say I was a Realtor®. I started with some pretty negative connotations associated with the industry. Coming from Social Work, where I was used to positive reactions when I said I was a social worker, to getting some version of the look that the lady is giving in this blog photo when I said I was a REALTORS®, was a tough adjustment. Gaining peoples trust has become a foundational piece of my business. 

So, I believe that the real reason many home sellers hesitate to list with an agent is a lack of trust. They just don’t feel confident in the agent’s level of competence to do a good job representing them, listening to their needs and selling their property at the highest level possible. 

If this resonates with you and you’re thinking of selling, let’s have a conversation and see if I can help provide some clarity on your questions and concerns.