“We are on our 3rd realtor. The first time we listed it we got barely any showings. Our second Realtor told us we should paint the blue in the family room and the red in the kitchen, so we painted them a neutral color. We still didn't get any showings. So we reduced the price, but we were ‘chasing the market'. We ended up renting the house.
Our new Realtor told us we need to paint more and replace all of the carpet in the bedrooms. We are exhausted and stressed because we are now carrying two mortgages and can't keep putting more into this house.”
The key ingredient you need to get an offer.
This is the story of one of our recent clients (and many of our past clients). They had a beautiful, immaculate, well-cared-for house in a pretty neighborhood in a great school district.
This is the story of conflicting advice and money lost. A lot of it (for both the sellers and the Realtors).
When I reviewed the original listing photos, I knew instantly why they didn't get showings and it actually didn't have anything to do with the paint or carpet.
It was a deeper problem and one that most people overlook.
By fixing this one thing–and the new list price $100 less than previous–we helped these clients sell the house without anyone even stepping foot in the house.
This house that seemed unsellable was sold based solely on the photos.
So what was the issue?
There are a lot of things that contributed but the biggest, most important, hardest thing to understand and figure out for most people was at play here. And it was our job to correct it.
Ok, Lori, what was it?
It was connection.
When your house fails to get traffic and an offer, you are missing connection.
That disconnect can happen in the form of price or presentation and more often than not, it's the presentation that is the issue. Are there times that something major like stucco causing mold or contaminants in a well that can prevent a sale? Absolutely.
Buuuuttttt….most of the time, it is straight-up how a house looks in its listing photos and how it makes buyers feel when they look at those photos and when they see it in person.
All great brands know that we humans don't buy things, we buy feelings. And we have to take advantage of this when we stage a house to sell.
My favorite marketer, Seth Godin, nails this issue perfectly here:
“There are two kinds of users/creators/customers/pundits.
Some can't understand why a product or service doesn't catch on. They can prove that it's better. They can quote specs and performance and utility. It's obvious.
The other might be willing to look at the specs, but he really doesn't understand them enough to care. All he knows is that the other choice is beautiful–it makes him feel good. He wants to use it.
Acura vs. Lexus, Dell vs. Apple, New Jersey vs. Bali…
You can have both specs and beauty, of course, but only if you work at it.”
This is the essence of why you need to think differently about your house when you are getting ready to list it.
It doesn’t matter if your house has great features if it doesn’t speak to a buyer’s sense of beauty, aesthetics, lifestyle aspiration. This is one of the reasons that unfurnished houses don’t sell as quickly as furnished houses. They are one big set of specs with no wish fulfillment for the seller.
And that is what happened here.
Buyers needed to see fresh modern touches like what they are seeing at HomeGoods and Target and on Instagram and Pinterest. And they needed to see them in a simplified presentation.
So, if you find yourself saying, “I can’t believe my house isn’t selling” or, “our neighborhood/town/school district real estate market is really slow”, you may want to re-evaluate how your house actually presents online and for in-person showings. You're missing connection and it must be fixed so that you don't lose more time and money.
The great news is that you can learn how to do this and I can teach you all that you need to know. You can start by downloading my FREE e-book “Sell Your House In 72 Hours: The Art of Real Estate Styling” or work with us in person. Just reach out, we're really nice ; )
xo,
Lori
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Have tried several times to download the ebook about selling your home in 72 hours. Not happening. Not in spam.
What’s the problem?
Hmmm…Karen, send me your email address and I will send it to you directly. Can you tell me where you were trying to download it from–blog post, home page, etc so I can narrow in on where the bug might be. Thanks so much!