I Was My Mother's Third Choice. By Dan Polimino.

Frequently, I get asked to list a home wherein I am the third Realtor that the seller has used in trying to sell their property. In some cases, I have been interviewed for the job a year before or earlier and they selected someone else. In other situations, they have tried two other real estate professionals and for whatever reason were unable to move the home. The sellers have either read my newspaper column or were referred to me and there I am, interviewing as the third Realtor on the job. People ask me if I mind being the third choice in selling their home. I always tell them, "I don't mind at all as I was my mother's third choice." Even though my brother and sister were born before me, being the third child and the baby certainly had its advantages. The same can be said about being the third Realtor chosen to sell a home.

1) By the time a seller gets around to using their third Realtor, they are sick and tired of the whole process. They just want to know one thing and that's, "What's it going to take to sell this house?"
2) By this time, they generally have a very realistic view of the true value of their home.
3) By this time, they usually make all the right moves like having the home picture perfect and never missing a showing.
4) By this time, they not only understand the word compromise, but practice it.
5) And by this time, they are feeling and doing all of the above to sell the home.

That's a great environment for me to be in as their agent and that's why I tell people I don't mind being their third choice. In most cases, I hope to save them the pain of using three Realtors by being their first choice, but it doesn't always work out that way. I tell consumers all the time, "If what you are doing isn't working, then change gears quickly to make the necessary adjustments." That does not always mean switching Realtors. Look to see if you need to adjust the price first, then how the home is showing, and finally, if you have great marketing. If any of those three are out of whack, fix them fast and yes, sometimes that may mean getting a third Realtor.

Dan Polimino is an Owner/Broker with Keller Williams Realty DTC. He can be reached at dan@coloradodreamhouse.com and www.coloradodreamhouse.com/denverpost