Just because the market is active right now does not mean I have to change how I have always taken listings. Yes, I have a waiting list. This gives you, the seller, time to do your cleaning and purging and decide where you are going.
When you and the house are ready, professional photos are taken, sorted, captioned, and uploaded to the computer. We may do the professional photos weeks or months before being prepared to list. I can have everything in place, including measurements and documents, so when your date arrives, we are ready with the click of a computer key.
Everyone sees the property at the same time. There is no need to do a coming soon or have multiple showings and inconvenience all parties. A few good showings will sell the home, especially in this market. I did that yesterday.
I met a seller a few months ago. And we discussed what was needed to get the home in show-ready condition. I stayed in touch with the progress. They painted the entire home along with new carpeting and some landscaping, and it was cleaned and cleared of unwanted items. Again I chose not to do a coming soon. When the property and owner are ready, it goes live. I take each phone call, make each listing appointment, and meet the potential buyer at the house. Same with buyer's agents. And I present any offers as they come in. The seller does not need to wait for a bidding war. And can sign the first acceptable contract. One of the secrets is to stay in close touch with the agents and buyers who are interested and qualified.
The listing went live after 10 pm Friday evening night. My first request for a showing was at 8:00 am the next morning. This KW agent would send another agent out to show the house. He was having fun at the beach. That's when I decided to do an impromptu open house. I agreed to meet his buyer at the house at noon and then have an Open House from 12:30 to 1:30. My plan, if it were not sold yesterday, rinse and repeat with another one-hour open house after Sunday's radio show.
The agent stayed in touch with me. We were texting while others were touring the home. He already had the documents together needed to prepare an offer. His buyer had been looking for a while. It was someone who had lost multiple homes in this seller's market. So the buyer came, saw it, and loved the home. What's not to love? It was in beautiful condition. Before the open house hour was up, I had his offer and was able to review it on my cell phone.
I had other families tour this home, each one showing interest. But the first family, because of their exceptional Realtor®, now has this home under contract, ratified, and pending in the MLS. The contract was sent this morning to the lender, title company, home inspection will happen this week. And if everything goes well, a closing this time next month.
If you have read and followed this far, let me recap. The property went active on the MLS after 10 pm Friday and was ratified by 3 pm on Saturday. Sure, I could have waited for others to submit and had the open house again on Sunday. But why? We had an acceptable offer; the seller was pleased to sign, no more inconvenience to the seller. No more showings and no unnecessary disappointed buyers.
This is an exceptional way to sell real estate.
I know that the house is NOT sold until settlement. It is only in the TOO LATE stage. But this is an exceptional way to get a property under contract.
Thinking of selling your home
Call Margaret Rome
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