MARIN REAL ESTATE MARKET REALITY CHECK
IMPORTANT FACTS OF REAL ESTATE LIFE FOR THE HOME SELLER
Your house cannot sell for a penny more than the best offer obtainable from the best buyer available in the current market. Recent sales of similar properties have historical value, but the best buyer we are looking for is to be found in the present market place, not in the past record books. Our job is to find that buyer and obtain their offer. No house in history has ever sold for more than the best offer obtainable from the best buyer available in the current market.
The only way to find the true value of a house is to thoroughly test the market and aggressively challenge the competition.
Appraisal and expert opinions can be helpful in establishing the listing price for your home, but its ultimate selling price will be determined by the prospective buyers whom we are able to contact. Buyers will compare your home with other offerings in there price range and make judgments. It is critical that your home be competitive in price and other options that these prospective buyers will be considering.
Testing a bigger market and a better market with grater skill yields a better price.
It is axiomatic that the larger the market you can reach the higher the quality of that market, the better the price you will realize. It stands to reason, for example, that sellers working along can only expose their home to the small segment of the market that can be reached by a single sign and limited advertising, these two sources typically account for only about 20% of the actual buyers attracted to a typical real estate office. The other 80% of the market is represented by the efforts of cooperating brokers and the marketing activities of real estate brokers and sales associates. It is also well established that the buyers most ready, willing and able to BUY are almost invariably availing themselves of the services of real estate professionals. Finally, the best buyer, unless he or she is being handled by a skilled professional, can often come and go without making a commitment.
An appropriate listing price will, immediately and consistently, attract attention and generate activity.
The process of testing the market need not be a lengthy one, regardless of marketing conditions. As we said before, buyers do comparison shopping and act accordingly. When the property is first exposed to the market, both buyers and brokers make instant
evaluation of the offering and if it compares favorably with what they have already seen, it will not only attract their attention, but stimulate them to inquire for details and arrange appointment to inspect. Your listing price must be realistic enough to immediately attract this attention from buyers and brokers. If it does not appear to be so, while competitive properties are attracting attention and generating activity, you have a clear indication that the listing price is not meeting the acid test of the market place, regardless of the economic conditions or other external considerations.
A home that is priced realistically and marketed effectively will always sell!
There is an old saying that the three most important words in real estate are “location, location, location”. Like a lot of old saying, it is simply untrue. No matter how poor the location might be, there is a price at which it will sell, and that price will be determined by testing the market. The three most important words in real estate, therefore, are PRICE, PRICE and PRICE—followed by marketing. Unless the price and the terms are competitive, the chances of a home selling are slim to none; and even realistic pricing should be supported by the thorough testing of the market and aggressive challenging of the competition that can best be performed by skilled professionals.
BOTTOM LINE # 1
When realistic pricing is combined with effective marketing, there is a buyer for everything and, given these conditions, any home can be sold in any market.
BOTTOM LINE #2
Homes that languish unsold on the market for months and even years are ignoring these “facts of real estate life”, often causing unnecessary inconvenience and financial damage to owners and agents.
The Market is not always kind, but it is never wrong…and those who believe otherwise pay a heavy price for ignoring these “facts of life”.
BOTTOM LINE # 3
In this market more than ever you need to have a SOLID action plan if you are thinking of moving in 2009. I am not only a real estate professional, who knows the current market trends, have an exceptional marketing strategy and sold many homes in the past years, I am also you neighbor, I live in Greenbrae, right here in our community, and know its’ challenges and benefits. Who could be better to represent your needs and to find the qualified buyers for your home? Please contact me for a Free consultation and complimentary home valuation.
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