Homebuyer catnip, huh – sounds like Mike has been nipping on something that has nothing to do with cats! So let me explain. You’re thinking OK, “I have a house but I’m not sure I have a HomeSTORY?” Good news if you have a home you have a HomeSTORY and it’s just waiting to be told! A HomeSTORY is simply all the stuff that makes your house a home. The problem is most people selling their homes are sharing stats, data and pictures but not their story! So thinking different (as always) I came up with the Charlotte HomeSTORY concept to change all that!
Regular readers know that I am big on getting back to the basics, to the joy of real estate read my post Looking or a 1974 Buick Century? I’m Your Realtor for more on that. We all know the market stinks for everyone; buyers are stymied by tight financing or because they can’t sell their own home and sellers face the double whammy of low prices and oversupply. We’re all trying to navigate real estate’s “perfect storm”.
But here’s the thing people are buying and yes, selling plenty of homes ~ in fact Charlotte’s $250k and below market is booming (OK that’s relative) but the market IS active, there are a lot of first time buyers out there. But not every house is selling – the homes that stand apart sell (are bought) first. It is more important than ever that sellers position (price and preparation) their home to shine from day one.
But I’m afraid you need to do more than that, you need to do things that no one else is doing and that is where the HomeSTORY idea comes in. Absolutely price your home smartly, repair, paint, declutter, clean spit and shine do all that and then make your house a home – personalize it. That does not mean you want your walls to look like a family reunion or that you leave out your Rush Limbaugh fuzzy slippers on purpose – it’s not that kind of personalization! Rather you want potential buyers to see themselves in your house, they may look at 20 similar houses and the house they pick is the one they feel they can make their own!
Here are a few examples of HomeSTORY in action:
Writing your own HomeSTORY is like catnip to buyers – because you are sharing the personal story about your house and helping them visualize living there. I work with my clients in writing the HomeSTORY encouraging them to be authentic and candid including things that are special to them: (what the buyer’s thinking)
- a special party or event (great for entertaining, hosting family events)
- proximity to shops, parks, restaurants (safe, I won’t have to drive everywhere)
- memories of bringing home a newborn (kid friendly, families)
- peaceful retreats (maybe I can read the paper on the deck in my PJs)
This is all the stuff that only you the homeowner knows – the little secrets, the good stuff.
Now a little goes a long way here so I council my homeowners to handwrite the story and keep it to one page, two max. We are getting awesome feedback from homeowners and buyers alike. Buyers like the personal touch and buyers remember, they remember the HomeSTORY homes! For sellers it helps them focus on and highlight the positives – the things they love about the house which are often the very same things the buyers want! Writing the story brings a lot of things into perspective and I think makes for a smoother and more successful transaction.
So if you’re in the market to buy a house in Charlotte look for the HomeSTORY ribbon on the sign – you can be sure there’s a story behind that front door. And if you’re looking to sell I hope you’ll consider letting me help you share your home’s story – it might just make all the difference! Drop me an Email
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