There are many marketing tools in a realtor’s arsenal to get a house sold but the best one and most important one is Pricing! Everyone wants to sell their house for “top dollar” - everyone! The job of realtor who is really doing their job is to price it right. Here in the Hollywood Riviera homes that are priced right and in top showing condition sell quickly and some in “multiple offers.” Yes, I said multiple offers. They still exist and there is no getting one on an “overpriced listing.” If a buyer is not even interested in the house - if their agent isn’t telling their buyer this is a good deal - then they are certainly not going to spend an “extra” $10K - $30K. Now get more than one party interested in the house and you’ve got the right atmosphere for more of an “auction” if you will.
We believe in “staging” a home to get people really excited about a home’s potential - it’s funny, even though a buyer is not buying the furnishings/accessories, if it’s shown with really great stuff they can somehow see themselves in the house. Often if you create the right mood - people will want to buy the house for the lifestyle it offers. People want “move in condition” these days. They want to feel like they got a house that was “wanted” by others - it is perceived to have more value that way. This is part of the key to pricing - create value!
This is an idea of “setting the mood.” What a great house with a great view…it was completely staged and really looked amazing!
A seller wants to sell their house for $1.4K and a buyer wants to buy a house for $1.399K - it’s perceived as a lower price although it sure is close. The retail stores of the world know this and use it almost exclusively.
Hi Kelly and Laura,
We, here in Irvine, are experiencing a similar up tick in our local market with respect to multiple offers on well-priced properties. These are properties that are well-priced from the start. This is definitely not the market for sellers to put an unrealistic price on their property. It will just sit there. Buyers are very much in tune to the real-time market–not yesterday’s.
We are also advising our sellers to stage their home in order to maximize the sales price. Buyers are used to visiting new Model homes from the builders. As Realtors of resale properties, we need to let the sellers know how important it is to engage the buyer “emotionally.” There are just too many choices out there not to spend the necessary dollars to enhance the seller’s chance of attracting the buyer to choose their home over the competition.
Comment by Robin Fenchel — April 1, 2008 @ 11:45 am
Hi Kelly and Laura,
We, here in Irvine, are experiencing a similar up tick in our local market with respect to multiple offers on well-priced properties. These are properties that are well-priced from the start. This is definitely not the market for sellers to put an unrealistic price on their property. It will just sit there. Buyers are very much in tune to the real-time market–not yesterday’s.
We are also advising our sellers to stage their home in order to maximize the sales price. Buyers are used to visiting new Model homes from the builders. As Realtors of resale properties, we need to let the sellers know how important it is to engage the buyer “emotionally.” There are just too many choices out there not to spend the necessary dollars to enhance the seller’s chance of attracting the buyer to choose their home over the competition.
Comment by Robin Fenchel — April 2, 2008 @ 3:13 pm