Shift Happens

Thinking about selling your home ... put it in high gear!

In his best selling book, SHIFT, How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times, Gary Keller outlines 12 unique tactics. Tactic #8 is Stand Out From The Competition - Seller Staging Strategies.

This bit of advise is something I have always dispensed to my clients when discussing strategies for getting their home sold. I compiled a report, as part of my listing presentation, called Sold On First Impressions. You can find it on my website (BaumRelo.com) under FAQ. Look for “What Should I Do In Order To Get My Home To Sell”.

What can and must a seller do in order to get their home sold in tough economic times is a fundamental question deserving of consideration. It is an indisputable truth, that a home, just like people, only has one chance to make a good first impression. In the best of economic circumstances, your home is competing against all the others on the market. Understand that competition increases dramatically when there are fewer buyers in the market, all of whom are cautious, prepared, well educated, and discerning.

These dynamics are further complicated by the following fact that sellers often don’t realize. That fact is that buyers as a whole lack the imagination to visualize beyond what they see. Buyers are unable to envision how a property will look when it is in its best condition, so it is incumbent upon sellers to “stage” their home, putting its very best foot forward. That said, you can understand why new home builders spend a fortune making their homes look like the proverbial “model”.

When the market shifts and fewer homes are selling, the savvy sellers recognize that their home MUST outshine the competition. They know that to make the home GO, it must SHOW! They know that in a market shift … it’s SHOWTIME.