THINGS I WANT MY CLIENTS TO HEAR
Last month I was on my rant...why people don't do what we Realtors suggest. Continuing that theme, I have more suggestions.
First, hire the vendors recommended by your agent. I’ve seen painters hired because they charge less. The paint job is usually worth that…much less, sloppy, not finished sometimes. Buyers spot that immediately. I've even had buyers' agents call me to comment on a bad paint job.
Some buyers are stretched so thin, they walk away from a potential listing because they can't afford to repaint. There are always other listings available which were prepared better, and are eye candy in comparison.
Yes, many buyers are emotionally swayed by how a property looks.
Don’t be cheap; it will cost in the long run.
Second, I have had sellers hire the "friend" to do plumbing or other work to get a house ready to sell. Usually this is also a bad idea. Usually the sellers save money in the moment, but when the friend screws up (yes, I've seen this multiple times), the result is a mess which costs even more money to fix. Oops.
Three, listen to your agent's price estimation and recommended list price.
We sold one of our own properties in January with full staging, remodeling, needed repairs, AND careful pricing.
There were several other condos on the market at the same time. They sat. In fact, some are still not sold. The agents stood on their heads, for the most part, to properly prepare the listing; BUT, the price was the seller's wish price, not the realistic market value.
Buyers do NOT care what price the seller "needs." Nor, are they going to make an offer to see if the seller will reduce the price. Nope, not at all. It takes time to write the offer AND it takes time to sign it. Buyers almost always WAIT. They are watching to see if the seller will bring the price down. They are not writing offers "just to see." Neither is a good agent going to play that game. It takes a good 24 hours to prepare a first offer package.
Properly priced, we sold our property, with 2 offers, and a 10 day close. I just checked the MLS again. Yup, not all of those competing listings are sold yet.
Bottom line...LISTEN to the agent. A good agent has years of experience.
Check out the most recent Santa Clara County stats below.
Single Family Homes
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Did you know that I can also show you NEW CONSTRUCTION, MODULAR HOMES, and MOBILE HOMES?
408-644-5159
Erin@BenfordRealEstate.com
18+ years of Licensed Experience
46+ years of Owner Experience
One can download information from the internet; but, one cannot download expertise. We look for the red flags and negotiate for a living. Hire the experts. We will tell you the truth.
