Several months ago, Maureen Francis, a blogger from Oakland County, Michigan, listed ten things sellers should not do if they wanted to sell their homes. In March it was an established fact that the real estate market was plummeting and it was getting harder and harder to market homes. The number of houses listed for sale far exceeded the number of buyers. The former real estate mantra, "The money is in the listings", was losing credibility.
Today, some St. Paul real estate agents groan when a listing call comes. Questions spring up. Will this seller be reasonable, or unwilling to adjust to today's market? Is it worth my time, money and emotional energy to list this property? Should I take this listing or pass on it?
Maureen's list for home sellers includes the following:
- Don't try to sell it yourself.
- Fix deferred maintenance items because there's lots of competition and the best one wins the sale.
- Update decorating.
- Do de-personalize everything.
- Don't overprice to see what happens.
- And more can be found here.
If you're thinking of selling your St. Paul house, check out Maureen's list for a reality check. And then, call your St. Paul real estate agent to get their professional opinion on specific price, upgrades, and marketing suggestions.
Great information.Thanks for such a great article to share with.I enjoyed reading it and I think other readers might enjoy reading it as well..Keep on posting!
Posted by: philippine real estate | May 04, 2010 at 08:51 PM
Dan, I missed your comment when you posted it in April . . . the notification system is sometimes "broken" :-). Anyway, in today's market which is terribly depressed, I would suggest to my clients that they discount their list price by $5000 instead of installing granite. The prices you quote are for a moderate size kitchen rather than a higher scale home, so pricing is primary. Now IF the counter tops are in poor condition, it's a good idea to replace them to freshen the kitchen.
Posted by: Bonnie Erickson | July 31, 2009 at 12:40 AM
Bonnie,
I would be interested in your thoughts on the relative value of installing new granite countertops in a home prior to a sale.
I get asked often by my clients, if the cost of upgrading their tile or laminate countertops to granite slab is generally recoverable in increased home value. A typical set of counters in an average home would run between $3500.00 & $7000.00.
Thanks in advance for any insight on this question.
Dan Canfield
Posted by: Granite Countertops Portland | April 18, 2009 at 03:12 PM