By Steve Levine
Overall, I would have to say that the best piece of advice I have always given my clients has been not to “rush” the home onto the market, instead of taking the time to prepare a properly. For this, a pre-marketing team is an essential value added service for an agent to bring to the table, and is the second thing you should ask a potential listing broker right after the obvious question of how many homes they'se sold.
I'se spent years assembling a team of professionals to assist us with all aspects of pre-sale preparation. By bringing in my team of painters, handymen, stagers, landscapers, carpet installers, etc., I's getting homes to hit the market as near to perfect as possible. The better job we can do in preparation, the higher price you'sl ultimately command for the property, and that's a win-win for everyone.
This team has a hidden side benefit, as well. Once the home is on deposit and through the home inspection, we will inevitably have a few nip and tuck items on the buyer's punch list, and in comes the team again to polish off the items on the list efficiently, effectively, and affordably. By removing that layer of stress from the transaction itself, we can add a level of piece of mind that enables a seller to relax, without worrying about the details of the sale.
Now that we seem to have finally broken through the worst part of the market, we can begin anew with an exciting and fresh approach and with nothing but hope and optimism for what lies ahead. Even as some talk about the supposedly slow market, I'se been pleasantly surprised to see many properties still selling with multiple offers. When that happens, we know that we'se on the right track in terms of our marketing approach, and that the overall health of the market itself is vastly improved over where we left off last year. We'se actually still seeing inventory shortages in many towns and ranges, so if you were on the market in the past, or even if you weren's, now is the time we should be talking. Once the tulips are blooming next March, you may be the last one to the party.
Working with people re-entering the market is one of my favorite things. It's sometimes a bit challenging, because these homeowners often feel as though their last agent let them down. In the end we need to look at each and every one of these, and come up with the most decisive marketing strategy to get the job done. The one thing we know for sure isn's that the answer is “nothing was selling” last year. In fact, an analysis of many towns shows that while prices were lower in some markets, the number of sales remained the same or increased.
We all are aware that these are challenging times in the market, but they are not unique. After 26 years in the business, I'se been through this type of market three times, and know very well just how to navigate it for maximum results. To try to help, I'se opened up the Homeowners Blend program again, in the hope that we can get 10 or 12 new listings on that program this month. That's always been a huge hit with the local home sellers, in that it provides real estate fees as low as 2.5%, which is a huge difference when your equity position is low to begin with. We already have five people signed up for October, but still have room for a few more in November, so if you'se looking for a solution that will put a bit more money in your pocket, just give me a buzz at 1-508-735-4663 or e-mail me at [email protected] and I'sl save you a place in the program.
Steve Levine is President of Steve Levine Inc., and an agent for REMAX First Choice. He has been ranked as the top REMAX Agent in the six-state New England region, and can be reached online at www.stevelevine.com or by phone at 1-508-735-4663.
