When pricing a house for sale, it's important to remember that EVERY HOUSE HAS IT'S OWN "STORY"... no two houses are exactly alike and their "stories" determine the correct pricing. They may be next door to each other, they may be the same size, and have a similar floor plan ...
but their "stories" are never the same!
Houses For Sale have THEMES ...
- Colonial
- Contemporary
- Traditional
- Rancher
- Victorian
- Cape Cod
- Condominium
- Town House
- Bungalow
- Mansion
Houses for Sale have SETTINGS:
- Lot Size ... small enough to see in neighbor's windows, large enough to need a riding mower
- House Site ... busy street, quiet court, top of hill, bottom of hill, the middle of nowhere
- Views from the House ... urban, rural, woods, gas station, church, liquor store, school yard, water view
- LOCATION ... LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!
Houses For Sale have PLOTS:
- Floor Plan ... location of rooms, number of levels
- Number of Bedrooms and Bathrooms
- Parking Situation ... garage, carport, street, alley
- Quality of Construction ... oak floors or carpet, ceramic or vinyl floors, dual-pane windows or single pane, granite or Formica, brick or vinyl front
- Builder's Reputation
Houses for Sale have MOTIVATING FORCES:
- Age ... older and charming, newer and boring
- Condition/Upgrades ... remodeled baths/kitchen, upgraded light fixtures, fresh paint, new flooring
- Proximity to amenities ... parks, shopping, athletic clubs, places of worship
- Proximity to detractors ... noxious smells, undesirable noises, power lines
Houses for Sale have COMPLICATING FACTORS:
- Schools ... reputation, standardized scoring results, ranking
- Neighbors ... lots of children, mostly mature adults, diversity or lack thereof
- Possibility of future development(s) nearby
Stories & Houses For Sale have CONCLUSIONS/ENDINGS:
- Sold quickly, sold slowly
- Sold for top dollar, sold disappointingly low
- Withdrawn from the market without selling
For the story to have a favorable conclusion/ending, all of the details that make the house unique must be factored into the marketing and pricing. Every buyer will read the house "story" differently.
Price a house according to it's own "story"
and it will sell quickly and for top dollar!
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
410-707-1840 Sue@BrazzelDazzle.com 443-745-4406 Dipper@BrazzelDazzle.com
http://localism.com/neighbor/suebrazzel
That's my favorite part of this field. The stories homes tell....
That's my favorite part of this field. The stories homes tell....
Yes, they all have their own story and you are absolutely right about the pricing.
Sue this is a wonderful blog and I love the uber creativeness you put into it. Too bad appraisers cant use some of these guidelines :)
And every house has it's time to be taken off the shelf and read. Some love the story and others put it back.
Epcon, some stories are pretty and some not so nice! It's up to us to help make them more attractive.
Anne, the pricing can make up for a lot of shortfalls ...
Heather, thanks for the kind words! Yes, appraisers seem blind to some of the details that buyers care about so much.
Heath, right! When it's put back on the shelf too often, it's time to make an adjustment! $$$
Sue, I love the way you phrased that and it's true. Our neighborhood used to be all young and many of us have stayed...it's kind of sad there aren't more young people close by with children. I'm actually surprised there hasn't been more changes in my immediate section.
Hi Carole,
Yes, neighborhoods seem to "grow" along with the families - especially the new neighborhoods that are usually populated with younger buyers.
Sue
Very clever! I enjoyed your blog. Don't you wish you could sometimes send blogs like this directly to the people who need it?! Bottom line is ... price it right the first time and there shouldn't be a sequel!