Real Estate Views from St Pete

It's frequently said that agents all have the same inventory, that the MLS is available to everybody, so service is what makes the difference. That inventory is generally available on realtor.com as well, available to anyone who looks there.

What's different today? That Pinellas County has 9,844 listings to sort through? That the Tampa Bay area - excluding Manatee County where many Tampa Bay people live - has 33,104 listings to look at? No, it's the "hidden" inventory that makes the difference.  It's always been common for agents to have one or two pocket listings, ones that aren't actively on the market, or that are coming on the market. Today there are oh, so many more. People who had their homes on the market and got tired of months and months of making the beds and doing the dishes, only to have no one come and look. People who felt after a year or two on the market that they needed to give it a rest. People who have rented for a short time waiting for the inventory to decrease. People who want to sell their home but are waiting for prices to go up before they put it on the market. All these people are ready and willing to sell - and the agent who knows a lot of these may know the one that's just right for the client, even more right than all the others on the market. 

Working with an agent who has this "extra" inventory can add value to that agent. So can knowing lenders, appraisers, and stagers. An agent who has seen the fluctuation of the market over one or two decades or more, may have the creativity or ingenuity to get a transaction together, and to make sure it closes. Now, more than ever, real estate agents are NOT a commodity. Choose your agent well - there is definitely a difference. 

Sharon Simms, Real Estate Agent selling homes in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Gulf Beaches and the Tampa Bay area.