In addition to having an organized process, designed to be executed efficiently and calmly, Danielle’s greatest strategic advantage is in negotiations and overcoming roadblocks.
Many agents say that they are a skilled negotiator. And many top producers are pretty good!
Yet—this may sound hyperbolic, even arrogant—we don’t know of any real estate agent who is more trained and skilled than Danielle when it comes to understanding why and how people make decisions.
Danielle is able to achieve the highest possible results for her sellers and avoid the pitfalls because of her vast deal experience and emphasis on emotionally intelligent negotiations.
It may be surprising to consider that there are many opportunities for a seller to lose money during the sales process, even in a seller’s market. Danielle will collaborate with you to ensure that you do not leave money on the table.
Danielle Lazier + Associates (her team) are often on the other side of the deal acting as the buyer agent. We see how our competitors—the other top producers—market, communicate and negotiate.
Danielle’s marketing is hard to beat. She is known as one of the city’s top marketers. Danielle started her real estate career in 2002 by creating and writing San Francisco’s first real estate blog, SFhotlist.com, to market homes and attract buyers and sellers. Social media, digital marketing, photography and video, strategic home preparation and staging, astute pricing, promotion and advertising, agent to agent networking… Danielle’s marketing plan gets the right audience to notice her listings.
And yet, if you look closely, are marketing plans really that wildly different from one top producer to another?
The formula for creating urgency and the best crop of potential buyers is not rocket science in San Francisco. Most top-tier agents recommend a similar home preparation, staging and pricing strategy, designed to encourage multiple offers over the asking price, with very clean terms (few to no buyer contingencies of sale).
It’s one thing to follow the winning formula and achieve a high initial offer price. A strategic list price, proper home preparation and marketing will generally reach this goal. It’s quite another to increase the initial bids past current market value via the nuance and finesse of a highly trained and skilled negotiator. The monetary difference between an expert negotiator and an average one can be stunning.
What the public cannot see from the outside, we have seen dozens, even hundreds of times. The reality behind-the-scenes is that most agents, even top names in the business, are relieved to receive a good offer.
There is a lot of money, and commission, on the line. Tensions run high. So, the listing agent is often hesitant to push the envelope and counter on price and/or terms. Very few agents have the instinct and intuition to know how to influence for more without scaring away the buyer. It’s safer to encourage the seller to go with the best initial bid, especially if the offer satisfies the seller’s expectations.
Danielle has a keen instinct on how to capitalize on the excitement and urgency created for the buyer, and — safely and carefully — ensure that the best deal is achieved.
Maybe it’s the combination of her East Coast, Texas, and SF background… If there’s opportunity, she’ll find it!
Important Note: This process does not have to be combative, aggressive or unethical. The buyer wants to buy, and the seller wants to sell. Danielle’s job is to figure out which buyer wants the home the most and help them make it happen.
It is truly amazing how being transparent, up-front and friendly can affect the outcome! It’s a win-win for everyone involved.
