Special offer

Keep It Cool When Selling Your Home. An Ice Cold Beer is Also Good.

By
Real Estate Agent with Atlanta Communities Real Estate Brokerage GREC #208281

Here's a seller's dilemma, especially with a vacant home.  Do I save on energy and lower my carbon footprint and not run the AC very much  or do I keep it extra cool in order to impress potential buyers?

I've been showing a lot of homes recently, many of them have been vacant.  In the middle of summer, a home without air conditioning is really tough to stay in for more than a few minutes. What a relief it is to then step into a home that has the AC all the way down to 72 degrees.

Sometimes people go half way and keep it around 80 degrees.  Many buyers will think the worst case scenario and just assume the the AC is old and not working well.  Right away they begin thinking about how much it's going to cost to replace. 

If I'm selling a home in the summer, the first thing I would do is get my HVAC guy out there to make sure my AC is working really well.  You don't want an inspector to put any doubts into the buyer's head about the possibility that the AC unit is on it's last legs.  Get it in tip top shape and then keep it noticiably cold.  Make sure people notice how well it's working.

You also might want to keep some cold water in ther refrigerator with a note on the outside telling people to help themselves.  Shoot, while you're at it, welcome them to take an ice cold beer while they are there.  This will keep them in the house longer and make them feel at home.  They might then remember your home as the "beer home".  How cool is that?  Hopefully then when they are home and they crack open a beer while they are deciding on which home they might want to pursue, it will trigger the memories of your home.

 

 

Posted by

 

 

About the Author:  Tim Maitski has been a full time Realtor since 1999. He has sold several hundreds of homes in areas around metro Atlanta.  Tim started with RE/MAX Greater Atlanta and is now with Atlanta Communities Real Estate Brokerage.

 

Along with blogging on ActiveRain, he provides one of the best real estate websites in Atlanta at www.HomeAtlanta.com .

 

His proprietary  "Maitski Line Reports" chart out the absorption rates over the past 14 years in 37 different market areas.  Know when it's a good time to buy or a good time to sell.    

 

His online Property Tax Calculator allows you to compare property taxes in many counties and cities around the Atlanta area.  He provides the Atlanta MLS Power Search Tool that allows searches of homes using over 35 specific criteria.

 

Over the years, Tim has optimized his business so that he now can offer a huge 50% commission rebate to his buyers.  The more experience one gets, the easier the job becomes.

 

Tim also has a "Five Days to Sold" System that uses an intensive marketing blitz to create a showing frenzy that creates urgency and offers.

 

Tim is always looking to LinkIn with anyone who is interested in building their social network.

 

View Tim Maitski ●Atlanta Realtor●'s profile on LinkedIn

Comments (3)

Paul Morley
Coldwell Banker Triad Realtors - High Point, NC

Good points Tim.There's nothing worse than trying to show a home that's 90 degrees inside. It may be the best of the best but the buyers (or agents) don't care to stick around long. Absentee owners want to save on utilities, but this is definitely not the place to do it!

Jul 24, 2008 10:38 AM
James Wexler
wexzilla.com - Scottsdale, AZ

I know everyone is trying to cut costs.  However showing a home in triple digit heat is likely to turn away potential buyers.  There are simply too many homes to choose from.

By the way, do you have an outside blog other than AR?

Jul 28, 2008 04:58 AM
Anonymous
John Jackson

You make some excellent points Tim!

www.atlantasg.com

Sep 22, 2008 09:56 AM
#3