For real?

Do you see what they’re doing?

There’s reasons for decreasing the list price of your home.

But, every day?

Maybe it’s the rain this morning…but I kind of want to write daily low-ball offers because there wasting mine and many buyers time this week…

(I’m going to make my mom proud right now…)

The last $1000 reduction changed the list price by .18%.

Not 18%, and not even 1%…but .18%.

Sigh…

That’s not how I’d recommend gaining attention for your home sale.

If you’d like to know how I’d push eyeballs to your listing you can reach me at (608) 542-0178 or holberga[at]firstweber[dot]com.

How?

Should you even care?

I know I have introverted tendencies…

But your home needs to be an extrovert. No more going with the flow. It needs to find its ‘new car smell.’

It needs to crave attention….

…for all the right reasons.

There’s a reason why homes that sell are on the market 100 fewer days than the average home.

It doesn’t matter which area, or price point you look at.

Homes that sell, sell significantly faster and are on the market for far fewer days than “average” homes currently for sale.

What I’m trying to say:

• On average, a home that sold in Mauston in the past year was for sale for 145 days.
• The average number of days all other Mauston homes have been for sale (as of 4/20/2012) is 280.

That’s a 4 1/2 month difference. The summer buying season doesn’t last that long.

How do homes that sell ‘earn attention?’

A Mauston Realtor notices the home when it shows up on the MLS. A buyer receives an automatic email when the home came onto the market. Or a buyer notices the home when they were searching online. Or they noticed it when driving through the neighborhood after work one day.

Is it the curb appeal? The quality of pictures? The way the home is described in the description? The amenities match an advanced search? The price?

It’s different for everyone.

Which is why your agent must leave no stone unturned.

Everyone’s time is valuable. Yours, mine, the home owners and prospective buyers.

If a home doesn’t or can’t grab a persons attention, it’s guaranteed to sit.

Until the price comes down (and it looks better compared to similarly priced homes) or the condition comes up.

Or you get very, very lucky.

But with fewer buyers than 6 years ago, being ‘lucky’ is even more lucky now than it was in 2006… If that makes sense, which I *think* it does.

You can reach the most thoroughly prepared area Realtor by calling (608) 542-0178 or sending an email to holberga[at]firstweber[dot]com.

If you call, the person on the other end of the line will answer to Adam, but odds are he’ll answer to just about anything else as well.

What do you think of the data?

Do you need a change?

Maybe something smaller? More rural? Closer to work? A different school district for your children? Want to take advantage of the record low interest rates?

What could you do with a few thousand extra dollars in your pocket every year?

Any way you slice it, I know a guy.

And that guy can tell you what your home is worth in today’s market.

Read the super technical article.

I grabbed this image from a copywriting blog that I read.

This ties in very well with the ‘how to write your listing description’ article I wrote last week. Anything I write, post, publish, mail, etc. about your home is done with the purpose of ‘advertising’ your home to potential buyers.

But advertising for advertising’s sake doesn’t get it done in today’s real estate world. People know when they’re being ‘sold’ to. And it doesn’t feel very good. I don’t like. You don’t like it. Your mom doesn’t like it.

So everything I do is done in an attempt to be entertaining (this website, the stuff I mail out) and informative (the marketing for your home).

I write to peak a potential buyers interest. To make your home interesting. To make them want to see it, to walk through it.

As I pushed ‘publish’ on this post this morning Copyblogger ran the perfect article describing what my goal is.

You’ve read poor listing descriptions before. You’ve seen even worse pictures. Does that endear you to that home? Does it make you want to take an hour out of your day and look at it in person? Or does it feel like you’ve already seen enough after you see it on the internet?

I think I know the answer…

Here’s an actual listing description (it’s an old one):

Very nice and spacious 5 bedroom home in the Village of Hustler, waiting for you to move in. Home has many possibilities that you have to see!! Sellers are extremely motivated and will entertain any offer!

Um, all we’re told is the home has 5 bedrooms, that it’s located in Hustler, and the owners want you to submit a low-ball offer.

Yikes.

To say the least…

Anyways, check out the graphic and ask yourself if this is how you’d like your Realtor to go about selling your home.

And if your answer is YES, call me at (608) 542-0178 or send me a quick email at holberga[at]firstweber[dot]com.

Like this graphic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.

So often we expect things to happen without much effort.

“I’ll graduate college” a 17 year old senior high school student says.

And then drops out after one semester because they failed to do much, if any work. But they could tell you where all the good Thursday night parties were…

Or the newlyweds who believe their marriage will last forever, but then they each live like they’re single, without learning to compromise with each other…

I *almost* took a part-time job a few years ago packing boxes at Lands End. There was a quota that you had to complete every 40 minutes. All shift long.

Success involves “showing up.”

Doing the work necessary.

I used to coach freshmen basketball a few years ago in Mauston. It was the work we did on Monday, Wednesday and Thursdays that allowed us to be successful on Tuesday and Friday.

I always told my players that the effort they put in during the week at practice allowed us to put on a show when it was time to play a game.

And we did.

Practice wasn’t always glamorous, and it usually wasn’t easy or fun. But it had to be done.

So we could do what we wanted to do. Put on a show. Play our best game ever.

I know you want your home sold.

I know it probably needs to be sold yesterday too…

I get that.

But what have you been doing to love your home before today?

Have you been updating your home every little while?

Have you looked at your paint choices? That purple you love, might not be very high on the list of a prospective buyer that comes through your home next week.

Have your children been decorating their bedroom walls with posters, pictures, writing etc.? What will a buyer think about that?

How’s the outside look? It seems like we may never have snow again, so how will you hide the overgrown flower beds?

Have you checked out other Mauston homes currently for sale? Or the city where you live. Use the search box to the right.

It’s easy to learn to ‘live with’ stuff. We overlook it. And probably never actually see it.

The majority of my home doesn’t have trim. It NEEDS trim before I could ever put my home up for sale. I have tile that needs to be cleaned. Ugh, my soffit and fascia need to be replaced as well…

I know I have to start taking care of these issues this year so I’m ready next year or the year after. I have a hobby farm waiting for me.

What do you have waiting for you?

But in order to reach that goal, take an honest look now. Before you call your favorite First Weber real estate agent.

But if you’ve done your homework and you know your home’s ready, you can call me at (608)542-0178 or send me an email at holberga[at]firstweber[dot]com.

You can reach your goal. I can help.