Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I ST I N C T LY M O N TA N A • S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 90 IF YOU HAD ONLY ONE TIP TO GIVE FOR SELLERS LIST- ING THEIR HOME FOR SALE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? MARTHA JOHNSON: Understand the market and price accordingly. POLLYANNA SNYDER: Head and shoulders above all other advice I give Sellers is PURGE! We are a culture of "stuff," and as our "stuff " reflects our personality, when your home is for sale it is time for the Buyer to see THEIR personality in your home, not yours. DAWN MADDUX: But there's so much to say on this! Only one? Ok... Price to Sell. Often Seller's price based on what they have invested, what they need to retire, what their neighbor said, what their refi appraisal four years ago stated... Contract a professional Broker that knows the market and price to sell. WHAT ARE THREE IMPORTANT THINGS SELLERS CAN DO TO ENHANCE THEIR PROSPECTS FOR SELLING THEIR HOME AT THE BEST PRICE POSSIBLE? POLLYANNA: e three most important things that Sellers can do to enhance their prospects for selling their home at the best price possible is to PURGE, PACK & PREPARE! ey have made the decision to sell, and now it is a critical time to help the new homeowner see themselves in your property. We all tend to collect items, toys, tools, etc and live in our homes as we wish. When it comes to selling, Sellers need to remove them- selves, their personal items and their personali- ties from the equation and that is best done by PURGING, PACKING & PREPARING for the Buyer to see themselves in THEIR new home. MARTHA: Don't leave projects left undone! Paint, new carpet, landscape, decks/patios—get it done before bringing to market. Buyers will only use it to negotiate against you for a lower price if there is deferred maintenance. • Most buying decisions are made before the buyers walk through the front door so curb appeal is a must. Make sure your landscaping and exterior of home are in great condition to present a charming first impression. • Improve lighting, kitchen and bathrooms. DAWN: Clean, de-clutter and clean. And de- clutter. Sorry, that was four. GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF A HOME SALE WHERE YOUR ADVICE AS THE LISTING AGENT WAS HIGHLY SUC- CESSFUL FOR THE SELLERS. POLLYANNA: One of my best examples is a home in Bozeman that needed to sell for the Seller to purchase their new construction home. eir current house that they had been in for roughly 14 years had about 14 years of deferred main- tenance on both the exterior and interior. ey also wanted to place the house on the market at the beginning of March when there was nothing green in site. With a whole lot of trust and faith, they took the time to make ALL the exterior and interior repairs, deep cleaned the property, purged—packed—and prepared, and by the time it came to place the home on the market, everything was green and they garnered one of the top sales prices in the area for that time. Had they not heeded my advice and jumped straight to the market without the repairs at least, their net gain would have been significantly less and their headaches been greater. DAWN: e one that comes to mind is a high-end home that was being sold FSBO (for sale by owner), bottom of the market and early in my career. After about two years trying to sell the property themselves, the home owner called me in a panic to get it sold as soon as possible. Due to the recession, they were in a financial crisis. I spent hours researching comps, the area, the statistics, and actually recommended that they INCREASE the price. Once I had professional photographs taken and set up our marketing plan, we listed and were under contract in under 30 days. ey made more than they would have by selling it themselves. ey were pretty happy. MARTHA: Typically a seller broker will earn their commission during negotiations—emotions on both the seller and buyer side are running hot and a great broker will insulate the seller from this while doing tough negotiations and provid- ing the buyers with an understanding of why the price is justified. WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON THING SELLERS DO THAT IS A POOR DECISION FOR LISTING THEIR HOME? POLLYANNA: e most common poor decision I see when Sellers list a home is the introduction of smells! Please clean the house and bathrooms, purge and pack ALL your non-essential items (store them in the garage if need be), remove odiferous items like litter boxes, pet toys and beds if possible, sports equipment, and DO NOT introduce heavy new smells! "Clean" is the best smell going, and candles and oils that smell like vanilla and cookies, just make the property smell like a vanilla flavored dog or cat—yuck! Smell is the very first sense that is triggered when entering a home—make them want to come back, not run. MARTHA: Pricing their home too high to a mar- ket that doesn't exist. MARTHA JOHNSON BIG SKY REAL ESTATE BIG SKY www.bigsky.com POLLYANNA SNYDER ENGEL & VOLKERS BOZEMAN www.bozeman.evusa.com DAWN MADDUX ENGEL & VOLKERS WESTERN FRONTIER KALISPELL www.westernfrontier.evusa.com FOR SELLING YOUR HOME D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • S U M M E R 2 0 1 2 w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 58 martha johnson www.blacktimberfurniture.com martha johnson Martha Johnson, Broker | Owner (406) 580.5891 cell | (406) 995.6333 office martha@bigskyrealestate.com We Are Big Sky! Four slabs were used to create this one of a kind outdoor BBQ oasis which sits beside the infinity pool with views of the Bitterroots. Photo by Alpine Granite Accents Best Tips

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