SPONSORED CONTENT
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
SPONSORED CONTENT
Mary Eve Kearns
Your full time real estate agent
WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO SELL HOMES ?
I grew up in Mt . Lebanon and graduated from Grove City College with a degree in Business Administration . Similar to many natives , I moved out of town for a job . In fact , I moved three times with my sales job ! I ’ ve lived in Syracuse , Albany and Buffalo , N . Y . I can relate to the stress of relocation for buyers and sellers . My corporate sales background gave me a great sales education . This was the foundation on which I built a career in real estate .
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO WORK FOR HOWARD HANNA ? I was interviewing real estate companies and I wanted a career , not a job . I knew that I wanted to work for a company for a long time and that I wanted to form a partnership with its leaders . Howard Hanna is a family-owned business . I can ’ t say enough about the Hannas . They treat their salespeople well and give us many tools for helping our buyers and sellers .
Some of the things that make Howard Hanna stand out are : All calls and internet inquiries on the homes an agent has listed go directly to that agent . The agent has the most up-to-date information on the home . Today ’ s buyer expects a quick and accurate response . All of the homes I market are advertised on the “ Sunday Showcase of Homes ” on WTAE . We offer the 100 % Money Back Guarantee on most of the homes that we sell , and our managers are non-competing and there to support our salespeople and clients . Our top management and department heads listen to the salespeople ’ s input about how we can improve customer service and what the current challenges are in the marketplace . Howard Hanna has a fully owned financial division , a closing division and insurance division . We offer “ onestop shopping ” to the buyer . Our relocation division excels .
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO TODAY ’ S BUYER ? Work with a full-time real estate salesperson . Your Realtor must be able to communicate with you when you are available . Before you start looking at homes , meet with the salesperson and review your objectives in purchasing a home . Create a plan with your Realtor . Make a list of must-haves , minor positives , minor negatives and must-not-haves . Also , look at your complete
budget . Arrange to meet with a local mortgage person . I encourage buyers to ask questions . This is easier to do when you meet with a real estate agent or mortgage representative in person . Don ’ t rely on emails and text messages . For your mortgage , be sure to get all of your paperwork ready before you buy a home . If you find yourself in a multiple-offer situation , your offer could stand out because your income and assets were verified while the other buyer had a basic pre-approval with only the credit verified . I like to review the sales agreement with the buyers on the first appointment . This gives the buyers time to think about what they would like to include when they make an offer on a home . If you know up-front the details , it removes some of the stress .
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU GIVE POTENTIAL SELLERS ?
You also need a full-time real estate agent who can be there when you need him / her . Meet with the real estate agent and work on a plan to sell your home . The full-time real estate agent knows what buyers ’ expectations are in your market . You don ’ t want to spend a lot of money preparing your home for sale , but there are little things you can do in terms of maintenance and décor to help your home sell faster and for a higher amount in a shorter period of time . Listening to your Realtor can save you time and money . Howard Hanna has a fabulous retail alliance program to help you find movers , storage facilities and contractors . Your agent should work with you as a “ team ” in preparing a marketing plan for the sale of your home . You want an agent who communicates well and is a good negotiator but who will listen to your needs . You need someone who has the resources to get answers to your questions . At Howard Hanna we can help you with all of those scenarios .
CONTACT MARY EVE KEARNS AT 724.941.8800 x239 , 412.889.7244 or mekearns @ howardhanna . com Mary Eve Kearns sells homes with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services .
PETERS TOWNSHIP ❘ APRIL / MAY 2018 33