If you are new to selling Real Estate in Sarasota there is a great show on HGTV that I definitely recommend. The show Real Estate Intervention has two hosts that both bring something unique to the table. Mike Aubrey is the local Realtor, he is a little tough, but he is honest, experienced and realistic. The second host is Sabrina Sota, a professional stager who gets the sellers home prepared for an effective open house, where getting an offer is the ultimate goal.
In the beginning of the show he enters the seller’s home and is prepared by knowing the area and the comps. What are the “comps”? Comps otherwise known as comparables are the homes in the seller’s area that offer many of the same features (square footage, number of beds and baths…) and possibly the same builder and floor plan. He asks the seller what kind of price they expect to get. He then asks for them to give him a tour of the home and to show him why their home is worth that price.
Mike then takes them on a tour of the homes currently on the market for sale and also the recently sold homes and shows them first hand where the market is. What happens then can sometimes be a little hard to watch depending on the seller’s financial situation. If Mike shows them a recently sold home which is almost identical to their home and sold for quite a bit less than what they’re hoping for it can be very emotional for the seller’s. Because of the Economic Downturn just about everyone is losing money on their home. Mike asks them to compare the kitchens, the baths and bedrooms, and most of the time the sellers think their home is nicer. Hey we get attached to our homes and we know the costs, the efforts and decisions that were involved in upgrading each and every room, but the buyer doesn’t. The buyer is only concerned about getting the best home for them with the greatest amount of features and the best price possible. So don’t get attached, emotional and don’t take it personally! Your ultimate goal is to sell your home, get where you want to be and/or get out of the financial situation that you are currently in!
Sabrina gives the homeowner’s a breakdown on what she is going to do for them and what they need to do on their own. While Mike is out looking at the comparable homes with the sellers Sabrina and her team are hard at work staging the home to sell. That means painting if necessary, removing unnecessary items such as exercise equipment, extra dressers, photos and etc., accessorizing and simple cleanup.
The whole point is if you have a home to sell in Sarasota, Siesta Key, Bradenton or wherever and you have never sold a home then let this show be your “Home Selling 101” class. The show is a great outline on what needs to be done to prepare for the selling experience. Go to open houses in your area, search the homes for sale on the web (you can do this here at www.SunnySarasotaHomes.com) and know your market. Ask your Realtor (ME). Do a little homework so you don’t get blindsided. Also pay attention to how Sabrina stages the homes to sell. I can give you great staging advice too.
Mike said something at the end of the show that is so true. He said “pricing and presentation is a winning combination”.
So if you are ready to sell your Sarasota home and have watched the show feel free to contact me so we can get the process started.