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Are you ADAPTing for
Better Showing Listings?
Last month, we looked at assessing your listings against an 8-question challenge (see article here) to see how well they measured up from the design and decorating standpoint that influences the emotional response you receive from buyers. So you've asked the questions. Now what? This month we'll take a look at how to decide whether enhancement is appropriate for the listing.
There are very few listings that could not benefit from enhancement. So for most, it's not a matter of whether it could benefit, but whether it is worth the effort and cost to have it done.
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| What is ADAPTing? |
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ssess the listing's emotional response quotient using the 8-Question Challenge |
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ecide whether enhancement is appropriate for the listing |
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pproach your client about having an enhancement specialist come in to help |
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rovide your client with information on how enhancement helps sell their house |
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ake the extra steps to help your client show the listing to its full potential |
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You know your client, and have to balance their willingness to have someone come in and make changes, and the cost of investing in those updates, against the potential return and value that enhancement can provide. If you haven't used enhancement before and experienced the benefits first-hand, you may be wondering if it really makes that much difference.
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| Does this room really need help? Would you have recommended enhancement to your client?
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Buyers are influenced by how a house is decorated, and you and your client can capitalize on that by having their existing furnishings strategically arranged to better show off the space and the house's selling features.
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According to a 2005 study, homes that have been enhanced sell on average 30% faster and for 13% higher than comparable listings (see "Enhancing a Home for Sale is a Wise Investment for Everyone").
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Knowing how important the decorating is in influencing buyer perception, doesn't it make sense to do what you can to use that to your advantage?
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OK, so enhancement does have benefits, but you still have to deal with your clients. Are any of these holding you back?
I don't want to ask
my client to spend the money
Of course money is of concern, but the emphasis needs to be on "investment" rather than "expense". Statistics show that enhancement helps houses sell faster and for a better price, so your client will in fact be getting value for those investment dollars. And if they are at the point of reducing their asking price by five or ten thousand dollars, an investment of several hundred dollars can actually save them thousands of dollars in the long run.
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Special Savings for Real Estate Enhancement News subscribers:
Interested in giving enhancement a try? Now's a great time to check it out - mention this special offer
and receive $75 off any services for your next listing.
Offer expires 10-15-2005 |
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Other possibilities are to consider sharing the cost with your client, or if this is a new listing, provide enhancement as an incentive and building it into the listing cost.
It's too expensive
Whether it's you or your client paying for enhancement, it is going to cost money. But have you considered the cost of having the house sitting on the market? As a realtor, you have to spend money and time marketing the listing, and you have client goodwill to consider the longer the house remains unsold. For your client, they may be paying two mortgages, or having to hold off on purchasing their new place until the current one sells. Whatever the case, they are probably anxious to get it sold and move on, and enhancement can help make that happen.
I don't want to offend my client
by suggesting that their decorating needs help
It's important to emphasize that decorating a house to display to potential buyers is different than decorating it to live in! Enhancement uses what your client already has, but in a way that "presents" the room from a buyer's perspective. It's hard for sellers to be objective about their decorating and their belongings, and it can be difficult for you as a realtor to make suggestions asking them to change. Sometimes it helps having an outside party come in and make the changes that are needed, allowing you to maintain your relationship without any hurt feelings.After all, the objective is to get the house sold, and enhancement is a process that specifically has that objective as the ultimate goal.
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Thank you for your interest in real estate enhancement. For more information or to set up an appointment, please give me a call at 314-359-9127.
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Andria Wallace,IADA, RES
the Contented Chameleon
314-359-9127
www.contentedrooms.com
awallace@contentedrooms.com
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