One of my new year's resolutions is to exercise every day, for at least 30 minutes. I have an elliptical in my basement and watch TV while I do it. I typically stay away from real estate shows, as I live these things every day, but two days ago I stumbled upon "The Unsellables" on HGTV and was hooked!
HGTV is a network that has taken nearly every possible issue related to real estate and turned it into a TV show. I really appreciate these shows, they often prep my clients and they understand that you can't just stick your house on the market and go on about your business. Most people who watch these shows get the basics of staging, de-cluttering and neutralizing a home to appeal to as many people as possible. And that makes it much easier for me to do my job!
In this episode of The Unsellables, we saw a seller who clearly had never watched HGTV. He had a garishly painted Victorian, that was styled inside like a neglected bachelor pad. It had loads of natural charm that was virtually invisible because it was so poorly maintained and decorated. Their team swooped in and painted the inside and outside, then spent a few dollars on staging and voila, his house was transformed! I have to note that the prices they spent were far from reality, but that's for another post. They also talked about the price, looked at some of his competition and how other homes in his neighborhood were selling in days, above list price, and how his was too high for the condition.
The real estate agent in this episode had little to do with the process. The show's star, Sofie Allsopp, who is about as cute and charming as a person can be, interviewed the agent, who said she'd suggested these things about price and condition to the seller, but he resisted and she did not badger him, even calling herself a wuss. I have to ask, why it took a television show to convince this guy to do what was necessary to sell his home? His agent should have been able to convince him of that.
Sadly, even after they transformed this house, the seller refused to take the just under list price offer he got. He clearly does not really want to sell that house!
Well, if you are thinking about selling your house in Northern Virginia, you don't need a TV crew to make your house beautiful. Homes are selling now in Northern Virginia, but buyers are not tolerating poorly presented homes that are over priced.
I guide all my sellers through this process -- nearly every home needs staging, painting and de-cluttering. And pricing right is critical. We carefully look at comparable sales, both active, sold and under contract - to make sure your home is compelling to buyers and stands up to the competition.
To me, this is what separates good listing agents from average listing agents. In 2010 my listings sold for 99% of asking price with an average of 13 days on the market. I know there is no point in putting an over priced, poorly presented home on the market - if you don't really want to sell your house, you probably shouldn't list with me. But if you do, contact me to find out how I will guide you through this process of low cost improvements to get your home sold for the best price. I make it easy and relatively painless!
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