Last night I started a market analysis for a couple wanting to sell their very nice 4 bedroom 2 1/2 bath house in Arlington Heights. The woman told me that she wants to try to sell the house on her own for a couple of weeks, but then will list with a REALTOR®. I appreciated her sharing that and I understand her thinking.
Before I became a REALTOR®, I sold my home myself. I wanted to save the cost of the commission, but by the time I finally sold my house, I had a much better understanding of the value I would have received, had I paid a REALTOR® to do the work for me.
One of those things is an understanding of home buyers and how to sell to them. Home buyers typically don’t use their immagination much when looking at homes.. They want to see a home that is “just what they are looking for”. This isn’t a put down of buyers. Most of the things we buy are new, so that’s what we expect for our money.
However, resale homes aren’t new and sometimes you can’t show all of a home’s features. That’s the case with this house. It has an inground swimming pool, but buyers can’t see how nice it looks since it’s January and we’re in Chicago. My solution: find one or two good pictures of the pool taken during the summer and have them prominently displayed when buyers view the home. That will help the home buyers see what the backyard could look like when summer arrives.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fran Bailey shows, previews and tracks downtown Chicago homes for sale giving her the insights needed to help her clients negotiate the best price and terms. Fran has been quoted in numerous Chicago and national publications. To schedule showings of listings regardless of broker or to contact Fran email her at fran.bailey@bairdwarner.com or call 773.793.4516. Learn More
Fran Bailey, Realtor
