Real Estate Agent. Realtor helping clients Buy / Sell luxury Real Estate in Eastern Washington (Spokane, Liberty Lake, Valley, Newman Lake, Mead, Chattaroy, Nine Mile Falls, Medical Lake, Cheney and Fairchild AFB area) and Northern Idaho (Post Falls & Coeur d'Alene).  Licensed in Washington and Idaho. I specialize in Luxury Residential Homes, Luxury Residential Homes on Acreage and Luxury Waterfront property (Long Lake, Newman Lake, Liberty Lake, Spokane River, Coeur d'Alene Lake & Hayden Lake).
Eastern Washington And Northern Idaho... selling a home?

My goal is to provide the best possible marketing for your home to increase your chances of selling it in this competitive market. If you like what you see below, give me a call at 509-217-3380 or
e-mail me at genesmith9@aol.com (Subject: Selling A Home).

Potential buyers and agents see your home through marketing. Chances are the buyer for luxury homes in this area will not be local but out of the area. To get your home in front of these buyers the marketing has to be national and international, not just local. Marketing globally will increase your chances of selling your home in this market. Questions to think about prior to listing your home.

1. Will your home have it's own web page? This is important so when potential luxury home buyers search on luxury homes in this area your home will show up.

2. How many MLSs (Multiple Listing Service) will your home be in? The key is to get your home in as many MLSs as possible so more agents and their clients see it.

3. How many Real Estate magazines will your home be in? Magazines are important since they are sent all over the world in relocation kits plus buyers pick them up as they pass through our airport.

4. How many national web sites will your home be on? Over 80% of buyers use the Internet to find their next home. The Internet is a powerful tool. The more sites your home is on, the better your chances are that a potential buyer will see it thus increasing your chances of finding that one buyer for your home.

5. Home many international luxury home web sites will it be on? This is key to finding buyers in other countries wanting to buy a home in the Untied States as an investment.

Buyers use all these tools to find luxury homes to purchase. That is why my marketing plan includes all areas of marketing, not just one or two. You never know where that one buyer will see your home.

1. I will develop a web page for your home that will include everything about the home, pictures of every room, room sizes, etc. Buyers in this price range want information and pictures at their finger tips. They don't want to call an agent for the information.

2. I will put your home in 2 or more MLSs. I am the only agent in all 4 MLSs in this area (Spokane, Colville, Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene).

3. I will put your home in up to 3 Real Estate magazines. I am the only Realtor in 3 magazines (Spokane The Real Estate Book, Coeur d'Alene The Real Estate Book and the Home Buyer Guide which serves both Eastern Washington & Northern Idaho).

4. I will put your home on over 70 national web sites (if on acreage it will be on over 150 web sites).

5. I will put your home on 3 or more international luxury home web sites.

No other agent can get your home in front of more potential buyers and Real Estate agents than I can which will increase your chances of selling your luxury home in this market. If you would like to hear more about what I can do to increase your chances of selling your home this year call me at 509-217-3380 or e-mail me at genesmith9@aol.com. Upon your request I will e-mail you my detailed marketing plan for you to look at.

What A Seller Deserves...

A Realtor who...
1. Is Responsive.
2. Keeps Them Informed.
3. Provides Maximum Exposure To The Buying Public For Their Property.
4. Is Knowledgeable.
5. Is Successful.

Key To My Success...

My Guarantee:

1. I will be responsive to you.
2. I will keep you informed on everything from advertising to feedback from other agents.
3. I will give your home more exposure to the buying public than any other Realtor in Eastern Washington or Northern Idaho. Your home will be marketed in "4" markets (Spokane, Post Falls, Coeur d'Alene & Sandpoint), not just 1 and in all types of media. EXPOSURE creates more offers quickly, thus higher price!
4. I will keep current on the market & laws affecting the Real Estate market.
5. I do what I say I will do. 
6. I am successful due to all of the above.

My Goal & Your Goal:

I want to be known by my clients for delivering exceptional service. Also to sell your property with as little hassle as possible, in the shortest period of time and for the most money possible.

Did You Know?

Did you know all Realtors are independent contractors? The company they are associated with has very little control over how they run their business (marketing of your property) or how they interact with their clients. They have no control over the designations a Realtor should have to keep current with the many changes in Real Estate.  They have no control over the continuing education classes they should be taking to keep up with all the changes in Real Estate especially Real Estate Law. This is very important to know when selecting a Realtor.

Did you know you shouldn't blame the Real Estate company if the agent you hired to market your property provided poor service. As independent contractors, the Real Estate company provides minimum supervision and guidance. You are selecting the agent, not the company to market your property. Ensure you select the agent that will market your property to the most buyers possible.

Did you know most Real Estate offices are not open 7 days a week to answer calls from potential buyers of your home? The Tomlinson Black North office is open 7 days a week!

Did you know there are over 3,000 Realtors in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. There are about 25 Realtors that actually do a good job at marketing property.  You, the seller, sets the price of your home with correct and honest information from the Realtor. Have you ever heard of buying the listing. Some Realtors will state the price of the home is higher than it really is to get the listing. They know it will have to be lowered at a later date.

Has your lawn grown up around that "For Sale" sign? Have the wasps moved into the lock box on your front door? Did you just receive an invitation to your real estate agent's retirement party? If so, chances are your home sale fizzled. Here are the six most-common reasons why homes don't sell and what you can do about it.

1. Your home is overpriced.
Optimistic home sellers love to parrot the old adage, "There's a buyer for every home." But they often leave off the qualifier: "at the buyer's price." The fact is, buyers -- not sellers -- ultimately determine the market value of a home. You can ask for the moon and set your listing price well above comparable properties in your neighborhood, but at some point it will be up to you, the seller, to accept what the buyer thinks your home is worth. Overpricing is the most common reason homes don't sell. When you ask an unrealistic price, it sets in motion a process that often works against you. Here's why: Most real estate agents, and hence most qualified buyers, will see your new listing within 30 days. If it is overpriced by as little as 5 percent, it will be duly noted and interest in your property will wane, especially if you show no intention of coming off your asking price. You likely already priced out buyers who might have qualified for financing at a more reasonable price. Even if you manage to find a buyer at your inflated asking price, the property may not appraise at that figure and the financing will fall apart. Your real estate agent may have approved or even suggested the inflated asking price to secure your listing (more on this in No. 4). Conversely, other Realtors often use overpriced properties like yours to help sell their own listings ("Here's what they are asking. Now would you like to take a second look at that first house I showed you?"). "If you have a house that really should be priced at $200,000 and you've got it listed at $260,000, you are trying to compete against homes that really are worth close to $300,000 and all of a sudden your home really is not competing well," says Jeri Fisher of Jeri Fisher Real Estate in Missoula, Mont. "You want to compete with what is available out there among homes similar to yours." If your home remains on the market for too long, agents and buyers may begin to wonder if there are other, perhaps more serious reasons why it isn't selling. "It becomes shopworn, the same as a jacket hanging in the store week after week," says Fisher. "People are aware that it has been on the market a long time and agents stop showing it."

2. Your home doesn't "show" well.
Your home is competing against shiny new houses in those pristine subdivisions out in the suburbs with their attractive prices, incentives and community amenities. Face it: Even the best old house needs a little makeover if it hopes to attract a qualified buyer. The good news is most of the work will be cosmetic and relatively inexpensive: a new coat of paint, a few attractive window boxes, a thorough cleaning of floors and carpets. Voila! The place may look good enough to reconsider. A good real estate agent can advise you on where your time and money are best spent. "Price and condition are two things that the seller can do something about," says Fisher. "I always give people my 'honey do' list. I think paint is probably a seller's best friend because it makes things smell fresh and look fresh. If it's time to paint, it's time to paint. It's the best return on investment."

3. You're in a bad location.
Nothing has a greater impact on your home's value than its location. Your humble abode might be worth a king's ransom were it located in Palm Beach, Aspen or San Francisco. It might even jump thousands in value just two streets over in the next (and far superior) school district. "If you're in one of the higher-ranked schools around here, you're going to add $50,000 to $100,000 to the price of the same house," according to Lenn Harley, a broker with Homefinders.com Inc. in Maryland and Virginia.  The point is, location rules in real estate. If your home's location is less than desirable, your options are somewhat limited. A good Real Estate agent will do his best to help you accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative of your circumstances, say by using foliage to screen off offensive adjoining properties or dampen traffic noise. The best way to compensate for a poor location is to reduce your asking price or offer attractive incentives such as seller financing or a lease option with rent credit.

4. You have a lousy listing agent.
Yep, they exist: Real Estate agents who mislead, misfire and misbehave. Their bad advice can cost you plenty in time, money and the sheer hassle of keeping the place show-ready 24/7. The agent from hell will allow you to overprice your home ("Here's what I can get for you if you list with me!"), not market it properly (see No. 6), fail to screen for qualified buyers, be unresponsive to interest from other agents (if they sell their own listing, they don't have to split the commission) and keep you totally in the dark throughout the process. What's more, if your agent is abrasive, arrogant or otherwise difficult to work with, other agents may not want the hassle of showing any of their listings to prospective buyers.

5. You are battling competition or market conditions.
We've all heard the terms "buyer's market" and "seller's market." In real estate, market conditions are affected by any number of external forces, some of them predictable (the weather, sort of), some of them unpredictable (the local economy, interest rates, public optimism or pessimism). In a "hot" or seller's market, homes go fast. Inventory (homes on the market) may be low, meaning less competition for you. Chances are better that you will get your asking price in a hot market; in fact, it is not uncommon to even be offered more than your listing price. But in a "flat," "cold" or buyer's market, sales slow to a trickle, inventories grow and buyers can find bargains, especially when they know the seller is motivated (i.e., paying on two mortgages). If you're trying to sell in a flat market, you're not only competing against all that vacant new construction, but against rentals as well. In this case, be prepared to settle for less than top dollar, or wait to sell until the pendulum swings once again in your favor.

6. You have ineffective marketing.
Gone are the days when an agent could simply place your listing with the local multiple listing service, hold a halfhearted open house and wait for another agent to bring forth a buyer. Today's top performers launch a multilevel marketing plan that includes listing tours for area agents, newspaper and even TV ads, weekend open houses, listing fliers and placements in local real estate publications. Computers and the Internet also have changed the face of real estate. According to the National Association of Realtors, today more than 65 percent of all home buyers use the Internet for house hunting. The best real estate agents are computer-savvy. They have your listing in color on their laptops to show clients and communicate frequently via e-mail, a particular boon when working with out-of-town buyers. Suffice it to say that if your real estate agent isn't listing your home online through the company Web site as well as with the local MLS, you may not be getting the exposure necessary to find a buyer. "There are those who just put the listing in the multiple and pray it will sell and those that put a lot of effort into marketing their listings," says Fisher. "Unfortunately, with this weird system of compensation we have, they all get paid the same, whether they know nothing or have many years of experience."