Archive for August, 2007
How to take away the objections to drawbacks in a home
This is me in the Arizona Republic (permanent link):
How to take away the objections to drawbacks in a home
I was looking at the web site for a For Sale By Owner home the other day. In the site menu was a heading called, “Drawbacks.” I thought this was an excellent idea at first blush, the kind of inspired salesmanship I almost never see.
The fact is, everything is a trade-off. Everything has advantages and disadvantages. This is not a secret. Buyers already know that every home they look at will have drawbacks.
What is inspired — what could have been inspired — is calling the drawbacks to the buyer’s attention. Why? Because then you can take away the objections.
Like this: “We know this room is small for a bedroom, so we pre-wired it for digital cable and two phone lines. That way, you can use it as a home-office and also as a guest bedroom.”
The buyers will see that the room is small, but by acknowledging and addressing the defect in advance, you can help them see around the problem.
I said the idea of a “Drawbacks” page could have been inspired. Instead, when I clicked through to the page, I saw this:
“There are no drawbacks! Come and buy this house right away!”
This is far beyond being uninspired marketing. This is the kind of ham-handed ignorance and arrogance we associate with Hollywood’s idea of a venal Realtor.
Since you know exactly what objections buyers are going to raise with your home, your best strategy is to acknowledge and address them in advance. This communicates that you are honest, that you are not trying to pull one over on your buyer, and it also gives you a chance to reframe objections in a way that can help to sell the home.
If you don’t want to admit that your home has drawbacks, say nothing. Every buyer’s biggest objection is the fear of being hustled into a bad decision. If you go out of your way to look like a hustler, you will scare buyers away even if your home really is close to perfection.
Technorati Tags: arizona, arizona real estate, phoenix, phoenix real estate, real estate, real estate marketing
1 commentBeg, borrow or steal… Picturing modern design.
I ran across this beautiful blog, which could serve as a delectable side dish to the feast that is the Modern Phoenix Neighborhood Network.
The author, Miki Kimuro, describes the blog as
Modern Design, Modern Architecture and Lifestyle Goodies: publishers of beautiful bling with an organic twist.
I would have loved to show an image from this blog, to give you a sample of the beautiful graphics here, but I couldn’t figure out how to contact Kimuro to get permission to copy a picture or two. So you’ll just have to click on over to take a gander for yourself.
Now. On the matter of modern-style, Greg and I will be listing a fifty-year old house later this month.
To help prepare the home for market, I’ve been keeping my eyes open for affordable mid-century pieces to help stage the home, and was tickled to run across this beautiful, modern coffee table on Craig’s List.
The photo is from the Craig’s List ad… I haven’t reassembled it yet to shoot my own. But… you get the picture!
Technorati Tags: arizona, arizona real estate, phoenix, phoenix real estate, real estate, real estate marketing
No commentsWhy didn’t your house sell? Price, preparation, presentation — and availability
This is me from my column in the Arizona Republic (permanent link):
Why didn’t your house sell? Price, preparation, presentation — and availability
So your house didn’t sell. Now what?
Six months ago — or was it a year ago? — the world was young and ripe for the picking. You listed your home for sale, confident that you’d have a buyer in no time. Full price and then some. Why not? The neighbors got it. Sure, that was two years ago, but you have better carpets and new countertops.
So you talked to three Realtors and hired the one who said he could get your price. His marketing plan was long on networking and short on practical details, but — what the heck? — houses sell themselves, don’t they?
You read an article a while back about staging, but you don’t need that. You’ve got great furniture. And even though your Rotweiller is hardly ever a problem, it seemed prudent to make the listing by-appointment-only.
This is the way it is: In most neighborhoods in the Valley right now, there are at least five homes for sale that might work for each buyer in the marketplace. The only homes that will sell are the ones that are priced, prepared, and presented right and are available for buyers to see.
Why did your listing expire? You missed the market in one or more of those criteria. If you priced your home above the market, you sabotaged your sale from the outset. Prices are declining in most areas, so even if you made successive price reductions, you were probably still always above market value.
If the house wasn’t repaired and staged to perfection, buyers bought the homes that were. If it wasn’t available to be shown, there is no possibility it could have sold. And, alas, if you fell for happy babble about your Realtor’s vast network of relationships, then all you were missing was a marketing plan.
What now? If you need to sell now, relist at the market price — with a Realtor who has a real marketing plan and detailed instructions for you. If you can afford to wait, the market will turn around eventually, but it might be a long while.
Technorati Tags: arizona, arizona real estate, phoenix, phoenix real estate, real estate, real estate marketing
No commentsMid-Century Marvels Photographed By Michael Lundgren
ArtLink’s First Friday is tomorrow night. I don’t know about you, but the heat’s been rough on me this week. Plus, the weatherman’s warning us of possible thunderstorms tomorrow evening. But rather than skipping this month altogether, I’m going to try making it to Burton Barr’s @Central Gallery. They’re sponsoring a First Friday Reception from 7 to 10 PM, featuring photographs by Michael Lundgren:
The Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Public Art Program partnered with the Phoenix Office of Historic Preservation in 2006 to create the Historic Buildings Photography Project. Recognizing the rapid rate of development in Phoenix, this project intends to capture a specific historical era in local architecture. The City commissioned artist Michael Lundgren to create a photographic portfolio of important Phoenix buildings from the latter half of the 20th century. Lundgren worked closely with the Public Art Program and the Office of Historic Preservation to select the buildings and to create a view of each that best communicates its architectural significance. As the City continues to change and grow, these images will become a valuable resource for residents, planners, and scholars interested in the City’s more compelling historic structures.
Then, if it turns out the weather turns in our favor, the guardians of Modern Phoenix are chatting about an open house at DWL Architects, 2333 N. Central Ave. from 6 to 10 PM.
Nota Bene: I was honored to hear from Michael Lundgren, who pointed out that this post was confusing, because it isn’t clear that the photographs I used here are my own, not his. He’s right, and I offer my sincere apology. Of course, all you have to do is go to Mr. Lundgren’s site, and take a look at his masterpieces to know that the above photos are made by an amateur.
My gratitude to Michael Lundgren for pointing out my error, and for being patient for me to fix it while I dealt with the recent death of my father.
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No commentsPhoenix Then Then Then and Now … Pictorial Comps Up Central
I have a modest collection of Phoenix postcards, and a favorite view of the artists is of Central Avenue, looking north from just south of Adams to just south of Monroe. So today, when I was downtown in this very vicinity, I pulled out my trusty real estate camera and snapped this stretch as it looks today.
This was taken at about 2:00 this afternoon. Amazingly little traffic compared to days gone by, even considering construction for the light rail tracks.
Technorati Tags: arizona, arizona real estate, phoenix, phoenix real estate, real estate, real estate marketing
1 comment
