TOP TIPS
FOR SELLERS
Preparing to Sell
IT’S LIKE HAVING A TABLE WITH THREE LEGS; IF ONE IS MISSING, THE WHOLE THING FALLS OVER AND IT DOESN’T WORK.
Selling any property is about far more than just taking a few pictures and throwing it up online and waiting for the masses to show up. As low as inventory is, and as competitive as the market is right now, there are still plenty of homes that don’t sell quickly, or at all..
When it comes to selling your property, there are three key
components to a successful sale:
Pricing
There are many agents who will say whatever it takes to get a listing, they will promise the stars to get your signature on that listing agreement, and deal with reality, and disappointment and stress later. That’s not our game, or philosophy.
You can hate me now or you can hate me later…
We can’t promise that we will tell you the number you want to hear, but we will tell you (more often than not within a very narrow window) what your home will actually sell for. It may or may not be a number that you are excited to hear, but, I’d rather set realistic expectations and give you a successful sale at the best price possible than lead you on and have to keep delivering bad news over, and over, and over… creating a stressful and negative experience and then on top of all of that your property sells for less than what it needed to.
That doesn’t sound fun at. all.
WHAT WE DO DIFFERENTLY:
We utilize a team approach when pricing properties and always have at least two members of the team look at data and determine pricing completely on their own. Then, we come together and compare notes; sometimes, we come to the exact same conclusion, and if we arrive at different numbers, we talk through everything until we are on the same page.
Our team excels at accurately pricing properties, and our strategy proves successful again and again. We routinely have low market times and close to, if not higher than, asking price transactions. It’s crucial that you price your property appropriately from the start in order to maximize the return on your investment.
On a personal note, in addition to my experience as a real estate broker, I am a licensed Architect and am extremely familiar with buildings, finishes and how buyers view various building elements. This can be an asset during the selling (and buying!) process as I am more than happy to walk through any thoughts, plans, or changes you might want to make prior to selling. And speaking of certified professionals, we also have a licensed appraiser on the team who has a keen knowledge of both the housing stock and how to value properties.
Basically, you’re in safe hands with us.
Marketing
Marketing is an invaluable aspects of selling your home. The first date a buyer has with your house is online, *not* when they come in person for a showing.
Having high-quality professional photos, floorplans, virtual walk-throughs, a website, and detailed information about the property… all of these are crucial elements to making a strong first impression that draws your buyer in and gets them to show up… gets them excited… makes your home look it’s absolute best for that first virtual date, so that your buyer falls in love when they come in person, they feel confident that they are getting a great value for the price, and you get the absolute best return on your investment.
I can’t tell you how many properties are listed every day with bad photography, bad lighting, the spaces are cluttered/dirty/messy, someone took blurry photos with their cellphone, people are in them, or they are testing their creative photography skills with closeups of some handles on a cabinet but you can’t see the kitchen! I often wonder if those sellers even know what their brokers are doing.
We want you to know our full marketing plan, and we share everything with you before we go live on the market so that everyone is aligned and knows that the property looks it’s absolute best and we are setting the strongest tone right from the start.
Preparation
In a market where inventory is at historic lows and it feels like everything has multiple offers, it can be tempting to as little as possible when it comes to getting your home ready for photos and showings, but that would be a big mistake. And it’s a huge gamble to make, with your BIGGEST investment.
We give every seller a to-do list of items we feel are the most important in order to have your space looking it’s best. Everyone’s list is different; some are longer, and some are shorter. I’ve never met a seller who *didn’t* want to get the most money possible for their home, so it’s important that when those buyers show up in person, your space looks as good as possible… we need the photos to look great for that first date, and when they show up in person for date number two, are you going to open the door in an old dirty t-shirt and sweat pants, or looking sharp and ready to impress..?!
If you find yourself in a negative mindset or feeling overwhelmed by the preparation required to sell your home, it might just be a matter of shifting your thinking.
Here is a shift to consider that my sellers often find helpful: At the end of the day you have to pack anyway, so think of preparation as getting a head start, and the sooner you start the less stressful it will be.
To have the most success in selling any property, all three of these elements must be implemented properly, or you won’t have the success you want, and deserve.
As an Architect, Interior Designer, and Real Estate professional, I could talk about the curation and creation of that unique “home” feeling all day long.
Have questions about the selling process? I’d love to connect with you and see how I can help.