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Selling Your West Bank Home? Here's How to Get From For Sale to Sold in under 60 Days

By Lisa Heindel

Real Estate Broker/Owner with Crescent City Living LLC Licensed LA RE Commission

October 19, 2008 02:52 AM

None of us is immune from the news being broadcast every day. The talking heads of the media have had a laser sharp focus on the economy and the real estate industry, mostly forecasting doom and gloom and making people nervous about their futures.

What the media forgets is that people will always need a place to live - a roof over their heads and a place to call home. The changes in the real estate market on the West Bank of New Orleans simply mean that qualified home buyers have many, many (did I mention many?) options when choosing which roof it will be.

All of those choices allow buyers to select the best of the best for their new home - and that's exactly what they are doing. I recently listed a beautiful house in Gretna for a seller who did all of the right things to prepare their home for sale. Combine the preparation with an individual property website, a virtual tour, video, and marketing to other West Bank agents and what was the result?

The house went from for sale to SOLD in only 53 days!

Do you need some help getting your home ready to sell? Here are some articles to point you in the right direction:

If you are considering selling your West Bank home, I'd be honored to have the opportunity to share my marketing plan and local expertise with you.

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Terrie Leighton

Ferrari-Lund Real Estate - Reno, NV

Reno Real Estate Agent ~ Selling Homes in Reno

I like this positive article! You are right, the media does forget people will always need a place to live! And real estate will always be a safe haven for people to invest long term in! Have a great Sunday!

Oct 19, 2008 02:59 AM

Rich Ferretti

Rich Ferretti Real Estate - Charlotte, NC

ABR QSC Realtor/Broker, Charlotte NC Real Estate a

People will always move...

Thanks

Rich

Charlotte NC

Oct 19, 2008 03:08 AM

Lisa Heindel

Crescent City Living LLC - New Orleans, LA

New Orleans Real Estate Broker

Terrie, no matter what, we all need a place to live and with prices holding fairly steady in my area I'd much rather see someone buy than pay the very high rents that are currently being commanded.

Rich, thanks for stopping in.

Oct 19, 2008 04:05 AM

Liz Moras Migic

Chilliwack, BC

Chilliwack, British Columbia - Realtor

Lisa that is a good reminder - and something we as realtors should focus on! There's a place B.C. called Westbank too! :-)

Oct 19, 2008 07:00 AM

Bill Gassett

RE/MAX Executive Realty - Hopkinton, MA

Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate

Lisa one thing is for sure... there will always people that need a place to live. The homes that are priced and marketed well are the ones that will move.

Oct 19, 2008 10:47 AM

Elizabeth Nieves

The Elizabeth Nieves Realty Group - Durham, NC

Bilingual Raleigh - Durham North Carolina Real Estate Team

As usual...this is a great reminder. And...you are absolutely correct. I personally believe that we are gonna see some changes in the public's perspective really soon. Solid information like this sure will help to set the record straight! GBU~

Oct 19, 2008 11:21 AM

Cynthia Tilghman, Realtor® Onslow County NC Home Specialist

Kingsbridge Realty, Inc - Hubert, NC

Hi Lisa,
You are the "go to agent" for sellers who are ready to sell in your area!

Oct 19, 2008 12:04 PM

Michelle Minch

Moving Mountains Design Home Staging, Pasadena, CA - Los Angeles, CA

Home Staging Los Angeles and Orange County, CA

Lisa: I love it! Great post reminding home sellers that homes are selling. Theirs can be the one that sells if they follow your recommendations.

Oct 19, 2008 12:16 PM

Lisa Heindel

Crescent City Living LLC - New Orleans, LA

New Orleans Real Estate Broker

Liz, thank you - we should all be pointing out the reasons why some homes are selling (and quickly too!) to encourage our sellers to be realistic about today's market. I know about the BC Westbank because I see it in my google alerts all of the time :)

Bill, exactly. Have a great, productive week!

Elizabeth, I hope we see that change soon. I can't speak for anyone else's market, but here there has not been the rapid and dramatic drop in values. Our issues are simply an overabundance of inventory, which would more than likely be reduced if sellers get realistic about how to prepare and price their homes.

Cynthia, thank you! I'm bouncing that same compliment right back atcha ;)

Michelle, thanks for always being so supportive of my efforts and thanks again for allowing me to use your information about staging. You are a peach!

Oct 19, 2008 01:23 PM

Laura Cerrano

Feng Shui Manhattan Long Island - Locust Valley, NY

Certified Feng Shui Expert, Speaker & Researcher

Lisa, I believe the first place a potential buyer would look in researching homes is on the web....it is very important to work with someone who can do all of those things you mentioned. They can truly get a feel for the home beforehand and don't waste their time--or yours. You made wonderful points with this information.

Oct 19, 2008 02:32 PM

Lisa Heindel

Crescent City Living LLC - New Orleans, LA

New Orleans Real Estate Broker

Carole, thank you - I love to hear from you because you bring the consumer's perspective to the network, even though you spend your time surrounded by agents!

Oct 19, 2008 04:33 PM

Erik Hitzelberger

RE/MAX Alliance - Louisville REALTOR-Luxury Homes - Louisville, KY

Louisville - Middletown Real Estate

Congratulations Lisa! This just proves that when you combine the your tools and local expertise with a prepared seller, great things can happen.

Oct 19, 2008 04:33 PM

Lisa Heindel

Crescent City Living LLC - New Orleans, LA

New Orleans Real Estate Broker

Erik, thank you! I'm always excited for my clients when they follow every bit of my advice and it WORKS!!!

Oct 20, 2008 04:38 AM

Mana Tulberg

805 County Real Estate - Camarillo, CA

Real Estate Agent - Camarillo CA

Lisa, WOW girl, you are good!! We are so lucky to have a roof over our head and I am so lucky to have helped many achieve the home ownership dream.

Oct 20, 2008 12:27 PM

Lisa Heindel

Crescent City Living LLC - New Orleans, LA

New Orleans Real Estate Broker

Mana, what a wonderful sentiment - and one echoed by many here, I'm sure.

Oct 20, 2008 01:07 PM

Kelly Sibilsky

Licensed Through Referral Connection, LTD. - Lake Zurich, IL

Around here, a house can still be sold in 90 days IF it is the best of the bunch. It has more to do with the house itself than with the marketing, I must admit, but it still shows how important it is to make sure a home is properly prepared and most of all, properly priced, it you want to sell it in today's market!

Oct 23, 2008 01:08 AM

Lisa Heindel

Crescent City Living LLC - New Orleans, LA

New Orleans Real Estate Broker

Kelly, to me the most important part of getting this home sold quickly (beyond a dead on price) was the fact that the seller really listened and applied everything they could to getting their house ready for the market. They did not rush through and do a sloppy job - instead they made it picture perfect from my first visit. I was head over heels with happiness, because I knew the minute I walked through the door that it would sell and sell pretty fast.

Oct 23, 2008 03:37 PM

Kerry Lucasse

eXp Realty - Urban Nest Real Estate Group - Atlanta, GA

Your Urban Nest Atlanta Real Estate Consultant

Lisa, nice post and congrats on the quick sale! It makes such a difference when the sellers take your advice and not just "snippets" of information. I've had the pleasure of working with two clients this year and they really, really listened and beause of that, one home sold in 38 days and a studio condo sold in 7 days!

Oct 28, 2008 01:59 AM

Lisa Heindel

Crescent City Living LLC - New Orleans, LA

New Orleans Real Estate Broker

Kerry, congrats to you! It really does make a difference when the sellers listen - the buyer's agent who sold my listing told me from the first showing that if that client didn't buy it she had more lined up to see it because it looked so great. In this market, that's just incredible.

Oct 28, 2008 10:11 AM