A walk down memory lane - The first buyer prospect that I had was someone that I worked with as a CPA. He was qualified and he had a vision of what his dream house was going to look like. It felt GREAT to have someone to show homes to in my first week of real estate.
Little did I know that it was going to take me about 4 years to find the place that he now calls home. I spent so much time showing him houses over the years that the first time I walked through the door- I KNEW it was exactly what he was looking for. Working with him allowed me to quickly become aware of what the inventory of homes looked like.
(The backyard of the home that my first buyer prospect ened up purchasing. )
Getting back to the story, one of the homes that I first showed him was a vacant home. A day or so after I showed it, I noticed that the listing expired. So, I picked up the phone and called the owner and explained that I showed his home the other day and noticed that it expired. Did he still want to sell it? That night, I acquired my first listing – a $185,000 house in an amazing neighborhood. After getting that first listing….others quickly followed.
That listing was situated in a perfect area to attract people to open houses. After a couple of months, I was able to figure out what was bothering prospective buyers about what was a really nice house. The subdivision was highly restricted and you couldn’t have a storage shed in the yard. So, the owner decided to build a storage “closet” under an overhang that could be accessed from the garage. The problem was that this storage closet blocked the utility room window.
After some grumbling and coaxing from his wife, the seller removed the storage “closet.” I found the buyers shortly thereafter and I was able to close on a house that had been on the market for three years. Yes…I had both side of the sale on my first listing.
In retrospect, I wish I would have staged that listing with more than a few towels and plants. That would have allowed buyers to see the home’s real potential.
Looking back, I'm amazed at how confident I was at the very beginning. Confidence and motivation are key factors in our success.
Sincerely,
Sondra Meyer Peterson, CPA
Real Estate Photographer
Home Stager
Colorado Horse Property Specialist
Colorado. See It. Experience It. Live It
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