What Does It Take To Get It SOLD!

After being in the Real Estate Industry for over 12 years we are often asked the question “What does it take to get our home sold?” And our answer is “For every property it takes something different.” But there are a few main things that we find are common denominators in getting houses sold quickly.

First, it has to be a desirable home or property. For example: We just listed a 2 story home on a large lot and on a private drive with a pole barn with very easy access to the highway. That is a very desirable property! But that was not the only thing that made it desirable. We’ll get to that a bit later. What if you have a cookie cutter house in a bland neighborhood that has five houses just like yours for sale? That leads me right to my next point.

The second thing that you have to have is a property that is in GREAT condition that is decorated and staged properly. The competition is stiff out there and if you find yourself competing against five other homes just like yours you need to stand out. You may need to paint, replace carpet or flooring, landscape, and replace outdated fixtures. We might even go as far as saying that you NEED to do these things. In addition you may need to completely de-clutter, depersonalize, and rent a storage unit. The house that I spoke about above did just that. Prior to even putting it on the market they did all of these things at a cost of about $5000. This is a very small investment for a $265,000 home. In a smaller home $2000 can go a long ways in sprucing it up.

The third thing that needs to happen is that you need to price the home right the very first time. There should be no starting high to build in room for a low offer, or hoping that some unknowing buyer will come along and pay you top dollar just because you think your home is special. Homes sell for their market value every time all of the time. Especially now that we have come through all of the economy woes, failed stimulus bills, and banking industry blunders. All of those things like it or not have affected the value of all of our homes. In reality it was a market correction that had to happen, unfortunate as it may be. The home that I first started telling about was also priced very well for what it had to offer. The owners did not make the grave mistake of overpricing it and as a result that home sold in less than a week to one of the first buyers that viewed it.

At CITY2SHORE we know what it takes to get homes sold. Sometimes our clients may not like what we have to say and that is OK. We like to say that we would rather be honest up front and have you be mad now at the situation than to have us tell you what you want to hear now and be mad at us later when the home does not sell. We will always tell you the truth. And we have the experience, connections, and know how to get the job done right.

Author: Shelley Frody
Broker/Owner
CITY2SHORE Real Estate
September 19, 2011

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