How Selling Your Home is Like Playing Baseball, Major League Style!

Monday, October 29, 2012
In the movie, Moneyball, Brad Pitt's 
character learns that to win at baseball,
he has to pay attention to the numbers. 
I love baseball. It’s the only sport I watch on television.

Baseball is leisurely, unlike basketball. It’s gentlemanly, unlike football. It’s quiet, unlike NASCAR. It’s complicated, unlike tennis. What’s not to love?

Watching the World Series games,  pondering my fascination with the game, and thinking – as always – of home selling, I spotted some similarities.  

Teamwork is essential

Although this blog concentrates on DIY home staging, there are times when you need to have someone else do it,  times when you need to call in pros to get a specific job done. 

Say you want to paint your tall stairwell, but you don’t even own a ladder. 

Maybe you need to replace the plumbing behind the shower stall, but you wouldn’t know where to begin. 

Or the garage needs to be rewired to meet electrical code, and only an electrician has the right license. 

Or you need a new roof, but you’re not going up there!

Each member of a baseball team specializes in whatever his position calls for. Each one is an expert. Even though there’s less apparent teamwork in baseball than sports like hockey or football, don’t be fooled. Each team member is a specialist, but one who also supports and cooperates with his teammates.

When you're staging your own home, it's important to know when to call in an expert if that’s what it takes to get your home in shape.  

Devil's in the details

Yogi Berra, famous Yankee catcher, 
is known for his crazy logic. 
He explains, "Baseball is ninety percent 
physical.The other half is mental." 
Both baseball and staging look simple when done right. But look more closely and you’ll see they both depend on subtleties that guarantee success.

One good pitcher can determine the outcome of a game, just as curb appeal can determine whether buyers want to view your home’s interior. 

One fumbled catch can lead to a home run for the other team, just the way pet odors can be a deal-breaker for a home on the market.   

Think like a Major League player. Take your staging seriously. Don’t be like the neighbor a friend of mine described to me last week, who said “Why should I paint for the next owner?” Step  up to the plate, and tend to the details, so your home is the one that stands above the competition.  

Preparation makes all the difference

Teams that get to the World Series don’t get there by chance. They work all year to become the best athletes they can.

Selling a home shouldn’t be a last minute decision. It should be part of a plan.

Although some will disagree with me, I think any homeowner needs to be aware that some day she’ll want to sell her home. Or her heirs will.

A common phrase is, “I’ll never move,” but statistically, Americans stay in their homes an average of just seven years. Lifestyle preferences change, families grow bigger or smaller, jobs relocate, finances force people to shift priorities. 

In other words, whatever you do to your home while you are living there is going to affect your selling price eventually. Never remodel a home in such a way that its market value will be reduced.

Don't postpone routine maintenance until the effects snowball into major repairs. 

Leo Durocher, the legendary Baseball 
Hall of Famer, said, 
"There are only five things you 
can do in baseball – run, throw, 
catch, hit, and hit with power."

It's about the numbers

No sport relies more on statistics than baseball. 

Wins and losses, batting averages, on-base-percentages, runs-batted-in, slugging percentage – that’s just the beginning. 

Team managers, owners, coaches, fans, sportswriters and gamblers all rely on complex math to predict probabilities and make decisions.

Similarly, when you’re selling your home, it helps to have good grasp of the numbers.

Have you priced it competitively? 

Do you know what your monthly carrying costs are (mortgage, insurance, taxes, utilities, maintenance)?  

If you are negotiating with a prospective buyer, do you know in advance how flexible can you be with financing options to shape a win/win agreement? 

Patience is your friend

Baseball is a test of nerves and strategy. When your home is for sale, waiting for a buyer to show up can be difficult.

Although we’ve all heard stories of people who’ve sold their homes the day they came on the market, I sometimes ask myself, “Did they price it too low?”

Even when you are impatient, a prospective buyer shouldn’t know this. That’s why I tell people not to pile moving boxes in the garage or spare bedroom. It looks like you’re in a hurry to get out of there, rather than living in a home you love. Strategy. Some players actually practice going slow all day before a  game, eating slowly, dressing slowly, and walking slowly! 

One baseball cliche is "Hurry to lose, slow down to win."  And that’s good advice for a home seller.

Chance plays a major role

Once you’ve staged your home, using the skills and resources you have, you have to accept the fact that fate takes over. You can’t call all the shots.

Sometimes, sheer coincidence steps in. A friend tells a friend who tells a friend about your home. It’s just what she’s looking for!

Or a couple out driving neighborhoods looking for real estate signs, turns onto your street, and Bingo!

Albert Pujols, a two-time World Series champ, and three-time Most Valuable Player winner, said, “This game is really crazy. Nobody can understand it, and there are a lot of things that happen that you can’t control.”  

The same thought was echoed by Wes Westrum, New York Giants catcher and manager, when he said, "Baseball is like church: Many attend, but few understand."

Remember that there is a buyer out there for your home. Do your best to attract him, and that’s all you can do. Your best.

The game ain’t over 'til it’s over

Of course, this is one of Yogi Berra’s most famous lines, and I find myself saying it near the end of almost every baseball game. And at other times as well. It’s a Life Lesson!

In real estate transactions, snafus and surprises are common on the road between a showing and a closing. That’s the reason I never remove staging until the last possible moment.

As a seller, you can’t take your buyer for granted. Inspections, financing, contingencies, all can be bugaboos. Being a seller takes flexibility and a positive attitude.  

I’m not the only one

Plenty of people see more to America’s favorite pastime than men hitting, running and chasing balls. Saul Steinberg, the cartoonist, wrote, “Baseball is an allegorical play about America, a poetic, complex, and subtle play of courage, fear, good luck, mistakes, patience about fate, and sober self-esteem."

Sounds like home-selling to me!

My best advice: Listen to the coach, and play by the rules of the home staging game. The rule book I recommend is my $4.99 eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar. It teaches you all the steps to build a winning team.  

I am rooting for you!

What a Restaurant Can Teach You About Home Staging

Monday, October 15, 2012
 
I ate lunch today at my favorite Mexican restaurant.

My husband and I eat there quite often, about once a week. Is it because we adore Mexican food above all other types? No. Is it because it’s close by? Not really. Is it because we know the owners? Hardly.

It’s because everything that a restaurant should do, they do right.

Today, midway through my chile relleno I thought, home staging should be like this restaurant. 

Here are some of their winning ways that translate over to staging your home.

Always inject something new

Every time we go to Cerro Grande something new has been added. Today it was bigger iced tea glasses. Muy grande and brand-spankin' new! And new menu covers. Nice touches.

Since we’ve been visiting this restaurant for about four years, we’ve seen it grow from “just another family-style Mexican restaurant” to a fun place with a captivating ambiance. They’ve added outdoor seating, painted murals on the wall, changed the light fixtures to south-of-the-border-style lights, expanded the menu, decorated the spaces between the booths, and added a full-service bar.

These changes tell me that the management is investing in their business instead of milking it, or just coasting.

If you are selling your home, chances are you’ll need to make some investments. 

Buyers will sense it if you are just coasting, waiting for a sale, holding off on maintenance and repairs because you’ll be moving soon. 

Buyers want some show of recent improvements. Walls that have been freshly painted, a stove that has some of the latest bells and whistles, window treatments that stay with the home, and landscaping that's been manicured. 

It’s not necessary to do all kinds of upgrades, but it is important to make a showing of good maintenance.
What was a playground is now
an outdoor patio, with a bar
and bubbling fountain.
Are you using your
imagination to maximize 
your home's potential?

Give good value

We never complain about the cost of a meal at Cerro Grande, because we know we get our money’s worth. We enjoy the feeling that we're not getting ripped off, just the way a home buyer wants good value for his money.

Is your home priced competitively? You can’t just meet your competition. You need to beat them! Ambitious, savvy Realtors and successful FSBO sellers will usually set a listing price that’s just below the comparables.

And if you are not a motivated seller, what are you doing in the marketplace? If you have the attitude of, “I’ll sell if I get my (unrealistically high) price,” you can expect to wait a longer time to sell.

Offer a transporting experience

I find myself uttering the same phrase almost every time we eat at this restaurant.

“It feels like we’re on vacation.”

Why? Because the experience is a step away from the ordinary. The aromas of ethnic spices drift from the kitchen. Music and the language of another culture provide background sounds. Vintage black-and-white photos of heroes from a different place fill the walls in the vestibule. Brightly painted wood carvings decorate the backs of all the chairs.

The way you want a buyer to feel when he tours your home is that he's being taken to an exciting new place. A place where he can relax, and even enjoy a pampered lifestyle. A lifestyle he doesn’t presently enjoy. He should feel like he is moving up the ladder of success.     

She usually smiles, but she was
camera shy. Delivering chips and 
salsa to your table right away
is like great "curb appeal."
It makes you like
the place immediately. 
When a buyer enters your home for the first time, will his initial reaction be, “This is how I want to live?”

Even though you don’t know what the buyer’s present living conditions are, it’s safe to say everyone reacts favorably to touches of luxury, to extreme cleanliness, to simple orderliness, and to soothing color combos.

Pay attention to detail

My Mexican restaurant takes care of the details like spotless restrooms, fresh flowers at the table, candles that get lighted at sundown, soft music playing in the background, a waitstaff that acts happy to serve you, clean menus, comfortable seats, quick service, consistent food quality, and I could go on and on. It all adds up.

In today’s real estate market it’s not enough to give the house a cursory once-over, pound a For Sale sign into the front lawn, or call a real estate broker, then sit back waiting for a good offer.

A home seller needs to tend to the little things that set the home apart, to make it memorable, and tempt the buyer.

Don’t go thinking that my restaurant is a fancy place. It’s located in a former McDonald’s building. There are no tablecloths, cloth napkins, view of the harbor, printed wine list, pastry cart, or maitre d'. But we can have dinner for two, including drinks, tax, and tip, and spend just $20.

Those low prices and the humble pedigree don’t prevent management and employees from delivering the kind of food, atmosphere, and service that more than just satisfies.        

The takeaway

No matter what the asking price, or the location, age, and style of your home on the market, aim to satisfy the buyer. Remove any hurdles he has to make an offer by doing everything right. Just like my friends at Cerro Grande.  

Sound daunting? It can be. But my eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar simplifies preparing your home for sale. You’ll learn all the step-saving, money-saving, and stress-saving ways you can get a jump on the competition. Download it now and start a program for staging your home today. 

Selling Your Home with Words: Writing A Real Estate Ad

Monday, October 08, 2012
These are the kind of evocative images a 
Smith & Hawken catalog featured, 
along with compelling copy. 

Three very different men taught me about advertising and selling.

The first was Joe McKertich. He owned an advertising agency and hired me when I was fresh out of college. It was way back in 1964, so think Peggy Olson. But instead of Don Draper, Joe was a paunchy, balding teetotaler who worked long days and expected me to do the same.

But he was an excellent teacher.

From Joe I learned the importance of mistake-free printed matter. Part of my job was to ensure every word in the catalogs and ads we produced was spelled correctly, spacing was consistent, and every number was correct. Tedious!

Guy number two 

My next copywriting teacher was Paul Hawken.

I knew Paul when he was president of Erewhon Natural Foods in Boston in 1970, before he went to California with another friend, Ty Smith, and started the company called Smith & Hawken. These guys revolutionized American gardening with their mail-order catalog, originally written entirely by Paul, a really savvy entrepreneur.

The Smith & Hawken catalog pre-dated and was more genuine than the J. Peterman catalog that premiered a few years later. Paul's catalogs transported you to a dreamy world where you tended your heirloom flowers growing in glazed pots, using your hand-crafted tools and wearing your French farmer's hat. Until then, gardening was a hobby for penny-pinching oldsters and unwashed hippies.

Paul's catalogs made gardening stylish, classy, hip, fun! His company was grossing $50 million annually by the early 1990s. He cashed out, and after a number of post-Hawken owners, it was bought by Scotts the chemical gardening people, who ran the company into the ground. But that's another story.

Like homeownership, boat ownership is a dream for many 
people, and the same selling techniques apply. 
Capture the imagination, be honest, and be specific.  

Selling yachts

The third person who taught me about selling was Kevin Rush.

Kevin was the owner of a yacht brokerage company where I worked as a yacht broker eight years ago. The most important thing Kevin taught me was to ignore the negatives. If a client touring a boat wondered aloud why some cushions were missing, or remarked that the galley was small, the best response was no response. Any comment from me would reinforce the fact that the boat had liabilities.

At first, I thought Kevin was hard of hearing, but I came to realize that his selling technique was a practiced one, and an effective one.

Advertising and real estate

Are you wondering what these men in my life have to do with selling your home?

Let's say you have fabulous curb appeal. You've decluttered and cleaned every square inch. You've staged your rooms beautifully. Your property is well-maintained and priced right.

But unless buyers know about your home, you're sunk. Whether you list with a licensed real estate agency, or decide to sell your home FSBO, advertising is essential if you want buyers to come and see for themselves. Advertising is what drives almost every American business.

And if you are selling your home, you are in a business.

You may think that an MLS listing is all formula, but just like a Facebook page or a LinkedIn profile, there's plenty you can do to make your listing more interesting. You can turn it into a strong selling tool instead of just a list of specifications.

Of course, photos of your home are what catch buyers' attention. Today, I'm concentrating on just the words you use to sell your home, because that's what buyers look at next.  

Be correct

Work with your Realtor to make sure your specs are correct in your listing. Your online data and your printed material need to be accurate.

Is the square footage right? The age of the home? The types of flooring? The number of baths, the size of the garage, the school district. Humans make mistakes, and Realtors are human. Double-check the info because this is how buyers judge your home before they decide whether to visit it.

Don't get sloppy about grammar, punctuation, consistency of style and spelling. Your advertising should look professional. By showing respect for your potential buyer in this way, you earn respect from your potential buyer.

That's the way Joe would have wanted it. (May he rest in peace.)

Be specific

When Paul Hawken wrote about a shovel, he didn't tell you that it had a wooden handle. He told you it had a kiln-dried ash handle from trees grown in Sweden specifically for shovel handles, and that it was attached using a method that had been perfected over the centuries by farmers.
Yours truly as New York City 
copywriter in the '
60s.  

If your home has a new heating system, give the date, the manufacturer, and the capacity. If you installed new carpeting, specify Dupont Stainmaster or whatever. If your home is near restaurants and shops, name the big businesses and the number of restaurants.

And this is important: Even if the brand name and the measurements aren't actually impressive or top of the line, the fact that you are citing them indicates transparency and even pride. Advertising is bragging. But you can't brag unless you're specific.

Photos are a subtle way of bragging. The tantalizing photos in a Smith and Hawken catalog did their job of seducing mail-order customers. Taking great photos of your home on the market is very important. It's best to go with a professional real estate photographer. 

Being specific is one way to interest buyers in your property without reverting to annoying "fluff" phrases such as, "Just bring your rocking chairs and enjoy the view." A smarter way to merchandise your porch would be with specifics: "Enjoy a 4-season view from the 12 x 40-foot front porch."

Be positive 

My boating boss Kevin knew that every boat had some things that a buyer didn't love. Your house will have some things that a buyer wishes he could change. Focus on the best qualities, and you'll encourage him to do the same.

If you are working with a Realtor, make sure she knows exactly what's special and unique about your property -- that the fireplace works, that the utilities are very low, that the windows are extra-thick, that the roof is brand new...all that nitty-gritty stuff.

When giving your listing agent the facts, never call attention to unfinished projects, problem areas, or any shortcomings. Ethically, professionally, and legally, your listing agent is required to reveal shortcomings. Instead, make her job easier by letting her know all the things you love about your home, things that some home buyers may not think about, such as proximity to parks, a quiet neighborhood, or floor plan that is especially accommodating.

These are the qualities a buyer needs to focus on so that he's comfortable with the trade-offs, those things that are less than perfect in his mind.

Don't think you are being deceptive by being positive. Anyone buying a home will need a home inspection, just the way people buying boats through me bought a marine survey of the vessel. There are no secrets.

Get the look, get the book

Staging your home to sell it is the beginning of the selling process. Getting the word out is the next step. Listen to the lessons I learned from my teachers and you'll have better success with advertising your home on the market.

If you are selling your home, whether you have staged it already or not, my eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar, will teach you new tricks and techniques to make it inviting to buyers.



Does Your Home Have Some Wow Factors?

Monday, October 01, 2012

A friend who is a Realtor told me that he tells every client, "Your home has to have some wow factors."

He's right. If you want your home to sell fast at a price you can be happy with, you need to stand out from the competition.

Price is one way to do that. Wow factors are another.

Getting specific

You don't need to start dumping money into your home to make it far more luxurious and up-to-date than it is. The last thing you want to do is price yourself out of the market.

But if you are really motivated to sell, or need to sell fast, some extra-special, memorable features are what could put your home over the top.

Depending on where you live, a hot tub could be the one thing that convinces buyers to make an offer. Photo: LoveChicLiving

Here are some typical wow factors that fall midway between gutting-it-all remodels and simple, gussy-up staging. They'll cost you some money, but they'll help sell your home!

New walk-in shower

One or two obviously high-end lighting fixtures

An outdoor hot tub

Private, outdoor enclosed space or garden

Professionally designed landscaping

Outdoor shower, even if it's cold water only

Stylish overhead garage door or refurbished existing one

New kitchen appliances that match each other

New washer and dryer that stay

Built-in bookcases, beautifully staged, of course

Built-in window seat, so charming!

Media room with basic home theatre

The fenced backyard that parents and pet owners crave 

Fully finished garage and/or basement that attracts the male buyer

New toilet and sink, maybe in all baths
Don't think your list of improvements has to include more than one of these improvements. Even one impressive upgrade buys you some wow. What changes you decide to make depends on your home's present condition, the local market, your reasons for selling, and your budget.
Adding a simple fence can be an inexpensive addition to your property

Why little luxuries matter

So, what's the big deal about features that wow?

Buyers are immediately impressed, and favorably so.

Your home becomes memorable. It's the one with the bathroom skylights, or the one with the luscious, secret shade garden.

You can include these features in your MLS listing and all your literature. Include specifics like brand names and measurements when possible. Specifics impress.

The longer buyers stay in your home during a preview, the better. Improvements that wow encourage lingering. 

I'm sure if you do a slow, room-by-room, walk-through of your own home, and put your mind in the Dream Big Mode, you're bound to envision some changes that you yourself would love.

If you can't justify spending money on new appliances or bathroom upgrades, examine your home for almost-wow factors. Is that awesome sunroom being wasted as a clutter collection point? Has your view of the distant mountains been obscured by overgrown weed trees? Are there heart pine floors under carpeting? Is the working fireplace currently not working? Does your formal dining room look more like homework and crafting headquarters?  Is that killer shelving system for the garage still in boxes? These are missed opportunities to wow buyers.

Shelving units like this can be assembled on-site as a DIY project. 
Photo: House to Home 

Even if buyers had planned to moves their own appliances, new ones in your home will look tempting. Photo: Timber Trails Development 

Now's the time to brainstorm 
Maybe you've always wanted to add crown molding to the living room. Maybe you've wanted a chandelier in the foyer, or a beautifully stylish ceiling fan in your sunroom, or an outdoor fountain by the patio. If these are changes you would enjoy in your own home, as long as they aren't particular to unique tastes, they are the kinds of things that buyers will want as well.

Don't let the idea that all these upgrades are expensive scare you. Get some estimates. Work with an experienced handyman who can come up with economical alternatives. Purchase from mid-price range.

You can upgrade just the half bath. Who says baths must match?

You can install hardwoods in just the downstairs, or just the living and dining rooms. Hardwoods can be laid for the cost of wall-to-wall carpeting. Consider luxury vinyl planking if you are updating any flooring.

You can buy scratch and dent appliances. Very often these deeply discounted appliances are high end, and the ding isn't visible once installed.

You can buy mid-range bookcases you assemble yourself and screw to the wall. Centsational Girl did this and blogged about it.

You can DIY a board and batten treatment in the hallway. Blogland is full of tutorials for this project.

You can put together a home theater system from Craigslist. First adopters sell their systems to upgrade to the latest. And you can always negotiate price. Maybe they will offer to install it for you.

You can trade skills with friends or family for what you need. Feed your cousin the tile setter for a week while he lays new ceramic flooring in your kitchen. Trade babysitting services for your neighbor who has a hot tub to sell.

Hardwood flooring is going to wow most people. 
Prices can be comparable to carpeting.
Luxury vinyl planking is popular as well. 

You can't afford to waste time  

Remember that every month your home doesn't sell you are paying carrying costs to stay there. The sooner your home sells, the more money you make, because homes that stay on the market grow stale, and that fact influences what you can ask for it. Agents and buyers wonder what's wrong with these stale homes and they stay away. You need to tempt buyers and do it at the start. When you list!

So don't fall into the rut of thinking, "If it's good enough for me, it's good enough." Buyers are spoiled. You won't change that. But can still wow them with some amenities.

Get more ideas to help you prepare your home for the real estate market by downloading my $4.99 eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar. 


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