The Market
Ask an Expert: Can a neighborhood broker sell your apartment better?
Q. When picking an agent to sell my apartment, how much does it matter whether the agent has sold in the neighborhood before?
A. "While it's not absolutely critical that an agent has prior experience in your building or neighborhood, it can certainly be an advantage," says Manhattan real estate broker Gordon Roberts.
Specifically, says Roberts:
- While some buyers may shop specific areas they like, and be somewhat pre-sold on the neighborhood, others may be shopping "price" or "perceived value" and find themselves in unfamiliar territory. That's complicated by the fact that many buyers do their own research on-line these days and don't work with a buyer's broker--so it's up to the seller's broker to act both as salesperson and neighborhood expert.
- If the area is unfashionable or marginal, a seller's broker needs to know its selling points: "There's usually more than meets the eye, and in order to be able to overcome any preconceptions of the buyer, it pays to be informed," says Roberts.
- It's simply more compelling if a seller's broker can be articulate about the neighborhood and speak about the property in a larger context.
- On a practical note, if your location is not convenient to public transportation, consider that the travel logistics of getting to Yorkville from downtown could be daunting if the property needs to be shown several times a day.
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