Nick Churton from our UK office, considers what lessons can be learned from Olympic champions when preparing to sell a home.
The Rio Olympics remind us that dedication, natural talent, great coaching, relentless training, self-belief and a total focus on winning are what creates a gold medalist. Luck comes way down on the list, for Olympians can’t rely on luck. Instead they have to depend on things they have control over. A 16th century proverb says, ‘Diligence is the mother of good luck’. And it is diligence that wins gold medals.
If selling houses were an Olympic sport who would you wish to represent you? An inexperienced, poorly trained, badly equipped person whose ethos is cutting costs and, in the main, relying on luck? Or would you prefer a professional armed to the teeth with an impressive array of features, benefits, experience and training, all designed to help you get the most from your sale?
Sadly there are lots of competitors entering the race for your business and offering cheap fees for a cheap service. Did the Olympic winners cut costs and trust to luck? No they did not. The cyclists for instance did not use their parents’ old bikes and then hope that everyone else in the race would get a puncture. Instead they invested in technology. They invested in training. They invested in people. They invested in success. No stone was left unturned in preparing to come first. Winning a gold medal can be a life-changer for the recipient. But it can never be left to luck. Too much is at stake. Winning at selling your home can be a life-changer too as your home is so much a part of your life. It provides shelter, it helps sustain your family and it helps you to build security and wealth. It helps you win in life.
So when you are deciding who will represent you in selling your home check out the competitors, weigh up their past successes, their experience, their desire to win and their complete disregard for luck – because the best make their own luck and that will be lucky for you.
