Another listing consultation behind me - I start with a phone interview in certain communities at this point.
What is a "certain community"? It's a community with ample inventory and comparable sales that are under the original purchase prices. Typically, neighborhoods of production build in the last 2-3 years. I give a brush over of the market, inventory, and market movement before I even step foot in a home. The last thing I want to do is stand in someone's living room, tell them the truth and get beheaded. I find the phone is more neutral territory, as opposed to the actual home and all of it's emotional attachments. Seller's will sometime need to defend the value of their home as if I'm personally degrading it and attacking it's worth.
You can't reinvent the wheel. Again, I returned to Village Walk Bonita Springs, the subject community of this listing consultation and specimen in this story.
There are only four floor plans:
- Carlyle
- Oakmont
- Cayman
- Capri
The selection process is basic. Want a home here - pick one of four. The upgrades are predetermined, for the most part. If you want to extend the tile into the living room it's $X amount of dollars. Want a built in wall unit, it's $X. There isn't the luxury of shopping for hardwood floors or natural stone, there is just tile. The tiles are preselected, too. Basically, there is no room for error on the part of the builder, Divosta Homes. They manufactur and control all aspects of the built. They're top in their field and buyers rave because of it.
That's why, when it comes time to sell there isn't, or rather shouldn't be a huge variable in the List vs. Sale Price. As an example: If all of the Capri models are closing sale at $300,000 there just isn't enough upgrades available to make the Capri three doors down be worth $425,000. There just isn't. Any way you dice it, no. Nope. Never. Sorry.
So back to the listing consultation in Village Walk Bonita Springs. The news was delivered to the owners of this lovely Capri. They understand, but they're disappointed no doubt. Naturally, they'd like to think about it. Maybe they'll think until they find an agent that will take it at a higher price, maybe their sticking pins into a Chris Griffith Voo Doo doll, who knows.
It is what it is - and sometimes it ain't pretty.
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