A recent Facebook post by a top-producing agent read: “I recommend that all sellers try for sale by owner.”

I couldn’t believe it when I read it, so I read it twice. Yep, that’s what it said alright. It just didn’t use those words.

Here’s what it did say: “Congratulations to my clients who received six offers in eight hours. The real estate market is HOT, HOT, HOT!”

Potential home sellers might interpret this post as, “Why do I need to pay an agent if the market is so ‘HOT, HOT, HOT?’ Maybe I should try to sell by myself.”

It’s great to celebrate your success and that of your seller clients, but I recommend you tell the whole story instead of making it appear that success came easier than it actually did.

The next time you post, answer the following questions first:

1. Exactly what event occurred that needs to be celebrated?
2. Who made the great decisions that led to what happened?
3. What was done in preparation to cause what happened?
4. How long did it take to make the preparations?
5. What concerns did the people involved have along the way?

I call these questions the EWWHC (Event, Who, What, How Long, Concerns) converter. Here’s what the post above might look like after you’ve run things through the EWWHC:

“A huge congratulations to Jim and Jane Smith, who received six offers on their Wilmington home within eight hours of going live on the MLS. Jim and Jane made all the right decisions as we worked together for the last few weeks, making minor cosmetic changes to enhance the sales price and decrease the marketing time. They had faith in our process, and it worked. If you’re looking to sell, too, let’s talk!”

To review, here’s how the pieces fit together:

1. What event occurred? Jim and Jane got six offers and a contract in eight hours.
2. Who made the great decisions? Jim and Jane did (they acted on your advice, which means others might need your advice, too).
3. What preparation was done to cause the event? Jim and Jane worked on minor cosmetic changes based on your advice.
4. How long did it take? A few weeks.
5. What concerns did Jim and Jane have? They weren’t absolutely sure the cosmetic changes would make a difference (so they had to have faith).

This post might not generate instant prospects, but it certainly won’t make prospects think selling a home is easy. The reality is that it isn’t easy to sell a home, so let’s make our social media posts match the reality of what we do.

Also, it might be a good idea to sponsor a post and target people in a geographic area who might be considering buying, selling, renovating or investing.

If you’d like to see some of my other tips for effective social media posts, reach out to me at Cleve@WorkmanSuccessSystems.com.

Cleve Gaddis is a master coach with Workman Success Systems and a team leader in Atlanta. He learned sales the hard way, selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door, and now puts those skills to use in helping his team close $60 million annually. He loves to share his systems and strategies to help others succeed. He hosts the Call Cleve Atlanta Real Estate Show, heard weekly on NewsTalk 1160 WCFO. For more information, please visit www.WorkmanSuccess.com.