If you would like to hear how I was able to get this Buckhead home under contract in less than eight weeks, please feel free to call me. I’d be happy to develop a strategy with you for selling your home.
The Buckhead housing market is resilient enough to absorb homes priced fairly, marketed aggressively and staged correctly.
While many buyers are sitting on the fence, a new group of people are sitting in vacant listings to help homeowners sell their home. These days, many Realtors in Buckhead are using “home managers” to help keep unoccupied, unsold homes show-ready and deter would-be vandals. All things being equal, a furnished home will sell more quickly than a vacant home.
The arrangement can be a win-win situation, because house sitters will often stage you home for free and pay for utility costs. Typically, these home managers must meet several requirements to be considered. They must pass background checks, be readily available for showings, be willing to maintain the property and move only approved furniture into the home.
I’ve had both good and bad experiences with home managers. When the home manger has great furniture and is responsive to appointments, it will help to sell a vacant home. When the home manager has weird furniture and makes scheduling appointments difficult, the arrangement can become more of a hinderance than a help.
Some companies are better about pre-screening applicants and more responsive to complaints. One industry problem I’ve learned is the difficulty in finding qualified home managers, not the homes for the managers. So there is a temptation to overlook some potential manager’s shortcomings.
I have some great success with a company called No Vacancy and encourage my clients with vacant homes to use them.
Let’s face it, Buckhead is currently a buyer’s market. It’s takes an extra effort to get homes sold at a fair price. Here is a great video on what you can do to prepare your home for maximum value in the real estate market.
I’m constantly amazed at how bad agents can be in their online marketing efforts. Whenever I see a single photo in the MLS, when 12 photos are available for free, or horrendous shots, I wonder if the seller has any idea how awful their agent is in marketing their home. In a 2007 NAR survey, 84% of respondents stated they used the internet for their home search.
Before choosing a listing agent, at a minimum you should look the agent up on the internet and see how well she represents her other clients. The Buckhead luxury home market demands a top marketing effort. I’m sure the percentage of people using the internet for Buckhead home searches is greater than the national average of 84%.
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Selling a home can be a stressful experience. After you’ve owned your home for a while it becomes a representation of your personality. You pick paint colors, renovate kitchens and shop flea markets for the right velvet Elvis picture. The home is a monument to your good taste, or lack of it. Don’t worry I’ll mention something that seems a little out-of-place for the Buckhead market. Then I will develop a marketing plan which is essentially an invitation for judgement.
You need a thick skin, because we’ll actively solicit feedback. The process can feed on your insecurities, so it’s my job to tell you the Realtor with the white patent leather belt and matching shoes has yet to reach the pinnacle of interior design expertise. Some of the feedback is constructive, some of it is not, as you can be left wondering if people have even a shred of imagination. Obviously if you hear a comment over and over again it’s something that will need to be addressed.
Then we’ll follow-up on the appointments and see if someone plans to make an offer, which is like wondering if you’re going to be asked to the prom.
I’m constantly amazed at how some folks have allowed the landscape to overtake their homes. If you are going to offer your home for sale, pull a machete out and show the people of Atlanta you have windows. Your home should be inviting. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to create curb appeal. Neatly trimmed bushes, a clean lawn, pine straw or mulch and some flowers around the entrance will create a welcoming home.
So take a step back and take an objective look at your home from the street. Plants in containers attract buyers, plants growing in your gutters repel buyers.