Thank you for visiting today. If this is your first visit, take your time and look around. I have plenty of information and resources available to you. If you are a return visitor, thank you. I would love to hear from you and tell you how I can serve all your real estate needs.

SELLING YOUR NON-SHORT SALE TAMPA HOUSE

Selling your home in a market that is made up of a steady percentage of short sales is, at the very least, an art form, and at the very most a small miracle...but it can be done!  My success listing and selling non-short sale homes comes from many facets that are designed to position my listings in the best position to be shown and SOLD.

MINOR REPAIRS:

First, and foremost, I thoroughly walk through the home with a notepad looking for minor (and inexpensive) repairs that will return their repair costs to you via a quick closing or higher price.  This list almost always contains:

• Cleaning (and possibly painting) baseboards - here is where I introduce the owner to Magic Eraser (the durable version you buy at a home improvement store.) It is a cheap way to freshen baseboards, door frames, doors, railings, banisters, minor marks on painted surfaces, and bath tile.
• Caulk.  Tubs, counter joints, window sills and frames, toilet bases all look fresh and new(er) with fresh caulk.
• Grout.  Especially if your tile has white grout, buy a container of matching grout and wipe the new grout over the old - it helps seal the old and makes it look clean and fresh.
• S.O.S pads to clean kitchen sink areas and faucets (if not harmful to the surface) leaves a bright shine and new feel to stainless steel basins.
• Sod, mulch and flowers.  For a couple hundred bucks you should freshen up the curb appeal of your front yard and the appearance of any plant beds around the property.
• Pressure wash the exterior of the house and/or the driveways, patios and sidewalks - make your concrete or pavers gleam.
• De-clutter.  Especially the garage, closets, and cabinets.

These things can be the difference between your house being a second or third choice for a buyer and us getting your house under contract.  Important note - the above items usually cost about $300-$500 plus some elbow-grease to accomplish - but a buyer will usually place their price tag at about $5000-$8000.  Now, whether that number is keeping someone from making an offer or being asked for in concessions, you and I will need to decide, but why allow it when you can avoid it?  Also, remember, I want you want to stand out from the crowd and command a higher price than competing distressed properties.

PRICING:

Speaking of pricing, comparablesof non-distressed homes should be considered (if possible) yet pricing should be ideally toward the lower end of the comparable pack.  Why?  I want your house to be in the conversation for buyers who are tired of seeing the distressed condition of short sale and REO homes and are willing to pay more to buy a home that is move-in ready.  Now your $500 in repairs earns you that $5000-$8000 more than the short sale home would command.  If you and I price your home at the lower end of the non-distressed pack you will inevitably get to a contract quicker. (Dirty real estate secret: Pricing at the higher end of the pack, usually gets your house showings to support the sale of another comparable property as a good deal.)

STAGING:

Now, let’s talk staging.  I am constantly amazed at how moving furniture around and getting rid of personal effects can move a house.  It usually gives you a fresh outlook on your home and it creates some awareness on the part of the buyer that you are preparing to move.  This perspective usually allows the buyers to feel a bit of optimism that an offer, when presented, will get received with strong interest.

ACCESS:

One of the last pieces of advice I give my sellers is:  Make your house accessible!  Allow me to show your house on weekends (when most buyers are looking.)  Let me put a lockbox on your house so that other agents can show the home conveniently without me, the seller's agent, looking over their shoulder.  Also I need you to keep your house organized. 

In return I will request that buyers' agents give us 24 hours notice to show, so you can live a somewhat scheduled life, and, most importantly I WILL GET YOUR HOUSE SOLD!