“Making sure all the legal paperwork is completed properly and presented to the client in a way that they understand everything that is in all the documents is the most difficult. Finding a way to explain the workings and terms to the client so that it is not overwhelming is very important to make them feel comfortable and reassured that they are in good hands. Having a coach assist with paperwork has helped tremendously!

I highly recommend all new agents recruit some help in this department so that they can confidently do this themselves down the road.”

“In my opinion, helping the client arrive at the listing price is the most difficult part. Everyone has an idea of how much they want to list their house for, but the market might say otherwise. Having a sentimental attachment to your home can have a significant impact on this opinion. I provide examples of comparables recently sold, and currently on the market. CMA(current market analysis).”

“Everyone has an idea of how much they want to list their house for, but the market might say otherwise.”

“The most difficult challenge these days is the fast-changing economic landscape and the concerns that people have when buying a home lately. I overcome it by working closely with a trusted network of colleagues who, like myself, have a big community following and we work together to educate clients that in the long term real estate in this country is always an excellent choice.”

“The toughest situation I’ve dealt with while listing a home was a very difficult neighbour who didn’t get along with my sellers and did many things to try to “sabotage“ the sale. I took it upon myself to meet with these neighbours and discuss why making it a difficult transaction for us would actually hurt their own resale value and everyone on the street’s resale value. I also reminded them, if the transaction went smoothly these neighbours would no longer be beside them. Once this discussion was had, they helped make it a smooth sale!”

“When listing a home, you will most likely encounter some type of challenge but the most difficult one that I faced was with a property I listed during the recent months of the market shifting and becoming more balanced. It is quite challenging to adjust clients’ expectations when they are used to seeing homes being sold hundreds of thousands over the asking price and all of a sudden, the demand rapidly decreasing. 

Everything had to change, from the sale strategy, to how we presented the home and of course our price point. We initiated some virtual staging since the place was vacant and got more foot traffic and eventually sold the home with a satisfactory sale price.”

“As a listing agent, it is your job to not just tell sellers what they want to hear. You have to always be bringing facts to the table and know the macro (city) and micro (neighbourhood) markets extremely well. In a shifting market like we’re in now, price reductions are coming back into play and those are never easy conversations to have with your clients. However, if you are a good agent, you would be keeping your clients in the loop on a daily and weekly basis regarding feedback from showings, listing activity, and other comparable listings for sale/and sold. I feel like as long as you are educating your clients along the way, having a price reduction talk with them will not come as a shock to them. It might be a bit disappointing but at the end of the day, the market determines the price, and it’s our job to monitor it and provide recommendations to our sellers to get their home sold without it going stale.”

“As a listing agent, it is your job to not just tell sellers what they want to hear.”

“It’s October 2022 right now, and I’m battling with some listings that aren’t selling since the market has slowed dramatically. It’s a challenge to adjust a Seller’s expectations to match the current slow market we’re currently experiencing.  Buyers are quite different than they were 10 months ago.”

“Very well-thought-out conversations for the tough conversations: 

PRICE and overall look/feel of the home.

We must get across to a potential client that how we LIVE in our home and how we SELL our home are very different. De-clutter, de-personalize, organize, clean and stage! 

We must come educated about the current market, what is Active/SOLD in the area, trends and how interest rates are affecting closing dates etc. 

Having a detailed CMA and proper comparables is a must to come together and agree on a price.”

“We must get across to a potential client that how we LIVE in our home and how we SELL our home are very different.”

“One of the most challenging listings I have had to deal with is hostile tenants on this one specific home.  When I say hostile, I may be a little extreme, tenants are usually not happy their home is being sold and are not necessarily cooperative. This was very difficult for a listing agent, especially when the communication between landlord and tenant had broken down. I had to make sure the house was clean and that the tenants were accepting most of the showings, and of course had to make sure that they were not trashing the house to the potential buyers if they did not vacate for the showings. I set up a meeting with the tenants and proceeded to ask them what times they absolutely do not want showings. I give, to get back. I would block off those times so the tenants were not agreeing to times they did not want people there.  I told them to work with me on the tidiness of the home for showings.  I said if the person buying was looking to move in, I would gladly help them find a new place. Lastly, I did also mention that the better they cooperated the faster the showings would end, and they could have their life back. Everything turned out great, the house sold and the tenants were a pleasure to deal with. The most significant factor in the success was treating them with respect and respecting their boundaries.”