Why A Home Doesn't Sell

The reason a house won't sell is broken down into 3 keys, Product, Price and Exposure.

There is no doubt that the three keys to selling a home are Product, Price and Exposure. If any of these three are missing you will run into problems. At PropertyGuys.com we focus our efforts on these keys in order to deliver what our clients are really buying from us, a SOLD Sign. The one that always rear's it's ugly head as we get going is price.

In a blog I read recently, the author points to the reasons houses don't sell are based on pricing it wrong from the start and not having enough exposure. He points out that in many cases where real estate agents are involved in the pricing that the cause is either inexperience or something called "Buying A Listing". This over pricing a home in order to get a listing is, in my opinion, a fraudulent act yet they are never really held accountable.

When a private seller overprices a home it is usually ego and bravado or sometimes just straight finances that causes over pricing the home. Who doesn't think their house is nicer then their neighbours? No amount of exposure will compensate for grossly overpricing a home. This is why it is so important to have an independent, third party give you pricing advice for your home. The PropertyGuys.com Price Pro is a summary from a local professional appraiser.

In the end it is always the home owner's decision as to what to price it. If in 6 weeks you are not getting the traffic you want through the house you can usually point to Price because with PropertyGuys.com we will have already addressed Product and Exposure.

PropertyGuys.com - More Than Just a Website

Some website just don't translate into real life.

At PropertyGuys.com, we know that selling your home is not something that should be taken lightly and just left to some online platform or website. Over the last 15 years we have worked with tens of thousands of home sellers. Experience like that has helped us figure a thing or two out. We know people want more than a website to sell their house, why else would they consider spending $20,000+ to sell a cookie cutter home?

Being locally owned and operated, having the business owner sitting at your kitchen table to walk you through the entire process is one of our market advantages. We also rely on industry professionals like local appraisers as well as lawyers to offer you what you need when you need it. In addition we have a call answer service that books appointments for you allowing you to never miss a buyer.

When it comes to marketing we look at traditional options like the local newspaper and Just Listed postcards mailed out in your neighbourhood as well as some non traditional marketing like sponsored Facebook posts targeting buyers in your wanted demographic. For those that want to reach the MLS audience we even have real estate brokers that will get you on Realtor.ca for some added exposure.

We are more than just PropertyGuys.com. We are more than a website. We are part of your community, living and working along with you, effecting our local economy by keeping your money in your pocket, where it belongs.

M

The Real Estate Sign - Lore, Myth, and Legend

Does a for sale sign on your lawn help you sell your house? Of course it does!

The for sale sign is responsible for a few things in the process. Let's first look at what it's use was in the past. In the dark ages (pre-internet) if you wanted to sell your house, the for sale sign was very important. It was one of the only ways to advertise your intention to sell your house. The only other ways were classified ads, bulletin boards, and the well connected real estate agent.

In today's age of the information super highway (do we still use that term?) your online listing is your for sale sign screaming to people zipping by at the speed of a Facebook news feed. But does the old school for sale sign, the one in real life, on your lawn, still offer you value?

To answer that question you have to go around the complete circle. What is the purpose of the sign and what information does it provide to it's intended audience? The main purpose of the sign has not changed. It is to tell people your house is for sale and how to get more info. An agent`s sign usually provides their phone number because they want the buyer. Maybe for your house or for another if your's isn't exactly what they are looking for.

On the PropertyGuys.com sign we have our ContactPro phone number so questions can get answered and appointments can be booked. We also have your Sign ID# to direct people to your online listing. This is where the virtual viewing of your home happens. It all starts with the buyer falling in love with your home and this can all start with an innocent drive through your neighbourhood and seeing that 5 foot tall lollipop sign on your lawn.

Don't underestimate your sign, it says you are selling and should connect people with your house, not someone looking to sell any house!

M

How Do You Minimize Economic Impact When Selling Your House

I assume we have all heard the news from Blackberry by now. More job cuts, pending sale to a private equity firm, another failed software launch. Man that was a week!

I am sure there are plenty of people wondering what will happen, how will this impact the local economy, the local housing market. If even 1/2 of the job losses are here in Waterloo Region it will have to effect things, right?

It is no secret that I am not a fan of the traditional real estate agent model. Taking 5% of someone's equity for the work that needs to be done is darn near criminal in my opinion. It is sometimes justified by "market increases" and excuses like "well you are still ahead by $20,000". What happens when you loose your job, or worse yet you AND your spouse loose your jobs? That $15,000-$20,000 in real estate commissions could be the difference between pulling through and bankruptcy.

Selling the PropertyGuys.com way allows you options, at a time when you may not have too many. You have the option of selling at market value and pocketing the commission for yourself. The other option is if you are in a pinch and need to change things fast you have the ability to lower your price by that commission amount and have a competitive advantage over your agent selling neighbours. Most of our sellers land somewhere in the middle between these two options, with a win for both buyer and seller.

It would be a shame to see any negative impact from Blackberry bolster an already over inflated industry.  Look around at all the square signs in your community and know that $20,000 is more than just hot air, but then again, those balloons don't stay afloat by themselves.

The Biggest Issue Selling Your Home Without a Listing Agent

Have a look in the mirror!

I see people get frustrated when selling their home privately. They blame anything and everything but themselves. They think it's that they are not listed with an agent, that agents are not showing their home because they didn't list with an agent or that they are lacking exposure (even if they are on Realtor.ca) or some other imaginary problem they have dreamed up in their mind.

With PropertyGuys.com they have access to all the information they need. They see how much traffic they are getting on their listing through their listing analytics. A standard conversation with this type of seller goes something like this:

Seller "I think I need to list with an agent."

Me "Well looking at your listing you have had 1,027 people look at your listing. How many showings have you done?"

Seller "That's the thing, no one is calling. *insert concern like agents not showing it here*."

Me "Our experience tells us that if people are choosing not to call you it is usually related to pricing." 

Seller "No we know we are priced right."

Then 3 weeks later they list with an agent and lower their price by $25,000.

This is why our new Pro Approach is designed to bring in the professionals needed to get your home sold from the beginning. From Pricing to Legal to SOLD!

M

Selling Your Home Using The Internet

We recognize the power of your story!

We are looking for a few avid tweeters; a few Facebook fanatics; or even a bodacious blogger (is that term even relevant anymore?). 

It is becoming more evident that people want to hear your story of selling your house. The traditional media is asking for it and HGTV has made a whole channel around people buying and selling real estate it would seem.

We want to give you the opportunity to tell your story, in your own words. We want you to go through the ups and downs of selling your home, without a listing agent, and we will do it at no charge. What we ask for in return is for you to blog, tweet, Facebook your little fingers off about the good and bad. Tell the world about your experiences, what your challenges were, how you overcame them, how working with PropertyGuys.com helped with that.

Interested? There are a few simple stipulations. First, the property you are selling has to be in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge or Guelph. Second, you have to already be active in the social media world. Third, you have to be willing to do at least 3 blog posts in total and tweet/Facebook a few times a week about your experiences or property (advertising and O/H counts).

If you are interested you can leave a comment, tweet me or connect with us on Facebook!

Does Your House For Sale Stand Out?

I had a client ask me today if they were better off to use an interior photo as their lead photo so they stand out from the crowd.

You can look at it 2 ways:

1 - You standout and are different than how everyone else looks

2 - You standout and are different than how everyone else looks

Depending on your stance those are 2 very different statements. 

Yes it's important for your house to standout from the other houses for sale. You need to be better than your competition. The trick is to know that this is not done by different or cute "marketing tricks".  This is done by bringing in a stager and making your home the best it can be, pricing it where the market says it should be; then taking AMAZING pictures and getting them on to a platform where buyers are searching.

Let the purple cow be the quality, not some gimmick.