Did the home show well? What about the photos?

This certainly doesn’t apply to all homes, but we sometimes find that the reason a listing didn’t sell (other than possibly price) was simply because it didn’t show as well as it could have. There are a couple reasons for this. Either the home wasn’t made presentable upfront, or the photos were not very appealing. Some agents will take photos with their cellphones, but those can’t compare with professional photos that are taken with high-end cameras, wide-angle lenses, and sophisticated lighting. We see photos on the MLS all the time that are too dark, too crooked, too blurry, and well, just plain unacceptable. We also often see where there’s only one photo of the front of the house and that’s it! You’ve likely noticed yourself that there are many listings on the internet that have not been properly photographed, staged or cleaned…and it leaves little doubt as to why they don’t sell.

So first things first. At no cost to you whatsoever, we’ll take a look at your expired listing on the MLS (yes, we can still see all of the photos and details) and we’ll provide our take on what may have gone wrong. If we determine that the reason your home didn’t sell is because it simply wasn’t presented at its best, we’ll develop a game plan with you to help you achieve your original goals of selling. Call us!

Was the home possibly a bit cluttered?

If you take a close look at both kitchen photos, ask yourself which home you’d be most interested in buying (the bottom one was taken from one of our own listings!) With tens of thousands of dollars on the line, and hundreds of other homes on the market for buyers to choose from, we recommend spending a little extra time to clean things up and get rid of the clutter. It may also be necessary to shampoo the carpets, or give the walls a fresh coat of paint. We’re pretty darn good at preparing a home for sale, and we understand that it’s not always possible to do everything that might be necessary due to financial constraints and/or time. But there are a TON of things that can easily be done to make sure your home is presented in its best light! We’ll prepare a list of our recommendations, and check off the ones you’re able to do.

We’ll identify which things are the most important!

Let’s say there’s little or no money to spend on fixing things in the house that are broken or need sprucing up. That’s okay. We’ll identify the things that are low or no cost. Cleaning and putting things away doesn’t cost anything other than time, so let’s do that first (we’ll even help out!)

On the other hand, if you have the ability to spend a little money to net a much higher return when the home sells, then we might recommend patching and painting walls, or freshening up interior and entry doors. We might also recommend deep cleaning (or in some cases even replacing) some of the flooring. Other things to consider are replacing any fixtures as necessary (broken door knobs, drawer handles, etc.) and perhaps repairing any window screens, or roof tiles, or any other reasonably priced items that might need fixing.

We’ll work with whatever budget you have available. Remember, the goal is to sell your home quickly and at the highest price we possibly can. Investing a little money now will almost always provide a return that far outweighs the cost.

What if the home looked perfect? Was it the price?

So, let’s say your home was immaculate, showed impeccably well, and the previous agent had done a great job with professional photos and the MLS entry (where they listed the features and described the property to other agents and home buyers who see those descriptions online).

In those cases, we’ll take a closer look at the price. If it was priced too high, we’ll tell you, and give you an idea what we believe it should have been listed for. Sometimes, however, the pricing was simply handled incorrectly, even if it was in the right range. We see some very common mistakes being made by sellers and agents all the time. Here’s an example of what we mean; Mr. & Mrs. Buyer are actively searching for a home, and have told their agent that they don’t want to spend more than a million dollars tops. So the agent sets up an MLS search for them with a price range of, let’s say, $750,000 to $1,000,000. Each morning, the buyer receives an email with a list of properties that match their criteria. But here’s what can happen. If your home was priced at the somewhat “odd” amount of $1,015,000 (only $15,000 more than a million), it will have NEVER shown up in their search! Remember the buyers’ search was set up to include homes NO HIGHER than a million dollars. And it likely didn’t just fail to show up in THEIR search, but possibly HUNDREDS of other buyers’ searches. If you’re selling a home at any price, do NOT miss getting great offers on your home by using odd pricing. Huge mistake!

By the way, the above example was for a million dollars, but the same pricing errors happen at all amounts, e.g. $627,000 instead of $625,000…or $2,025,000 instead of $2,000,000 even. Think in terms of how buyers set up maximum prices in their minds. No one ever says, “Set our maximum price to $627,000!” Similar pricing mistakes may have been responsible for your home not appearing in buyers’ searches! We won’t let that happen!

The true cost of pricing your home too high!

There are some instances when a seller insists on overpricing their home (against the advice of their agent). We understand that, by the way. We’ve sold a number of our own homes throughout the years, and although we’re Realtors, we were still sellers, and wanted to get the absolute highest price for our homes too! EVERYONE does!

But here’s where it can become a problem. If we’ve done a Comparative Market Analysis or CMA (see more information here…and have determined that your property is worth $850,000, it would be unreasonable to list it for $995,000. Sellers often want to “test the water” a little at first, but here’s how that strategy can backfire. Remember that buyers are looking at a LOT of homes in the area, and they (and their agents) know when a property is overpriced. They’ll simply skip over it. Even if you reduce your price several times during the listing, buyers will remember your home as “the one that was asking too much.” And when they see you reduce your price again, they’ll often just wait to see just how much further you’re willing to go before they write an offer. Meanwhile, your price could ultimately end up lower than the original amount we recommended in the first place. Besides that, if your home’s on the market for 4 months before it’s finally priced right, you’ve already lost a small fortune in monthly mortgage payments, tax installments, and insurance premiums. It’s a terrible mistake to make, and yet we see it all the time. Definitely keep your pricing reasonable. Yes, you can ask a little more upfront just to “see what happens”, but we’re talking small amounts, not $100,000! We’ll help you price your home to net the highest amount possible, while still attracting qualified and interested buyers! Take a look at our entire “Sellers Page” and then call us! We’ll be happy to help get your home from expired to SOLD!

Was your home described well enough?

Every day, millions of home buyers across the country begin their search online. They’re looking at photos, comparing features, and reading whatever description of the property was uploaded by the listing agent. Sometimes the descriptions are very basic, and other times they paint a very nice picture of what it’s like to live in the home.

We realize that all agents are not creative writers, but a home’s description should say more than “This is a nice home, and the sellers are very motivated.” We also see descriptive walking tours of the home, which seem unnecessary given the fact that there are usually many photos to view. An example of that is when the description reads like this: “As you enter the home, the living room is on the left. The dining room is on the right, and further down the hall is the kitchen.” Not very inspiring.

We’d rather describe your home on a more emotional level. Here’s a description from a recent listing of ours:

“Ideally nestled high on a hill, close to the end of a quiet cul-de-sac with no neighbors behind or to one side, this spectacular Fairway Canyon home offers everything you could possibly hope to find…and much, much more! Boasting an incredibly open and spacious floor plan with six large bedrooms, it won’t take long for each member of the family to find a place to call their very own. On movie night, gather up the kids and some popcorn in front of the custom-built entertainment center in the family room, and watch your favorite DVD by the fire. Or, for holiday meals with family and friends, take advantage of the over-sized gourmet island kitchen with granite counters, stainless steel appliances, and walk-in pantry to cook up your favorite dinner recipes and desserts! If soft breezes and sunsets are your passion, you might retire to the backyard with freshly brewed mochas, and enjoy intimate conversations with your closest pals. The views of seemingly endless rolling hills and natural habitat are simply breathtaking! You’ll also be located conveniently close to the 60 and 10 freeways, making commuting a breeze. You won’t find a community that offers as much as Fairway Canyon. In addition to the amenities shown on the back of this brochure, there are many additional activities like cinema nights, family bingo, holiday parties (including Halloween haunted houses), neighborhood garage sales, kids’ craft classes, swimming and yoga classes, and more! But hurry, as homes like this one don’t come on the market very often, and when they do…they don’t last long!”

Whew! Yes, it’s a long read, but it really makes a difference in how your home comes across to prospective buyers. If you’re curious as to what we might write to describe YOUR home, give us a call. We believe we can help you sell it…and do so quickly at the best price!