When it comes to selling your home on the open real estate market, finding and working with an agent and real estate brokerage who have a proven marketing strategy is of paramount importance. Stacey, our real estate creative wizard here at Valnes and Company has always said, “the best marketing is the home itself,” meaning that while all the fancy marketing brochures and wordy descriptions of your home are important, when it comes down to it, your home had better live up to the hype.
Stacey was a forerunner in the area of cosmetic improvements before putting a house on the market. In the old days, he focused most of his efforts on curb appeal, recognizing that a potential buyer’s emotions come into play immediately upon seeing the house from the street as they make their way inside. Creating an aesthetically appealing exterior on the home puts a smile on the buyer’s face and positive feelings in their heads and hearts, like, hey, I could live here. This is what any seller wants right from the start with any potential buyer, as opposed to buyers pulling up and thinking, “what a dump”, and possibly just driving away. Even if they do stay to tour the home, the negative first impression lingers and may be reflected in under-asking offers, or simply no offers at all.
Nowadays, Stacey and I are more apt to engage in a full-house revival, focusing on the interior and backyard spaces in addition to the curb appeal component. These aspects are important anywhere in the country, but it seems like buyers in Santa Monica, Venice, Pacific Palisades--let’s just say the west side of Los Angeles--are especially savvy. These people know what to look for, so as a seller, when you have real estate agents like Stacey and I, who intimately know the market, trends, and major cosmetic selling points, you have a much higher chance of a quick, easy, and successful real estate sale. Not to mention the biggest advantage of a pre-market makeover: a higher sales price, translating to extra profit into the seller’s bank account.
Understandably, some sellers balk at the cost of minor cosmetic improvements, but at Valnes and Company, we have proven time and time again that these improvements are actually not costs, they are an investment. On average, our sellers make about three to four dollars on every dollar that they spend, which is a 30%-40% increase in sales price! If you’re a betting person, those are great numbers. And sometimes, we go well above that mark and have made as much as 600% returns on some properties.
The spectrum of cosmetic improvements ranges from simple interior and exterior paint jobs to replacing light fixtures, new doors on cabinets, landscaping, and staging. We nearly always recommend staging a property, even if it’s a partial stage, because professional stagers know exactly the type of design that appeals to the highest amount of people and the results are visually stunning.
Now that we’ve covered the most important marketing piece--your home--let’s go over the other pieces of marketing you should expect when signing a listing agreement. Your Realtor should have a developed marketing strategy in place which includes mailers, beautiful brochures, door hangers, social media, and internet presence. You should also expect excellent photographs of your property, which highlight the beauty as well as a well written description of your home for the MLS (multiple listing service) and physical brochures. All of these things are designed to entice the market and get everyone excited about the listing of your home! This is especially true when you have invested and collaborated with your broker in the home makeover process, which is meant to accentuate the wonderful aspects of your home while eliminating the negatives.
While it may seem daunting to undergo such an endeavor as a home makeover, rest assured it will be well worth your time, energy, and money. Every other piece of marketing follows the leader of your home being the ultimate piece of marketing, so make sure to look for a real estate agency well versed in the art of preparing a home for sale. If you’re located in the Santa Monica, Venice, Los Angeles, Culver City, Mar Vista, Pacific Palisades, Topanga, Malibu or any LA beach community area, you know who to call when you’re thinking about selling your home: Valnes and Company!
