What are the two primary things all home sellers want?   They want to sell their house quickly, and, for a lot of money.  Realtors want the same thing for their clients, but you can see how those two things might be mutually exclusive.  This is as much the case here in Boise, as it is in any place in the country.

However, if each of the three Elements of the Sale are optimized, the result should be (relative to the market in which the home is sold) a reasonably quick sale, at a satisfactory price.

The Elements of the Sale

                                                                            - Pricing 
                                                                            - Condition 
                                                                            - Marketing

Pricing:  A house isn’t going to sell unless it gets shown. But, it isn’t going to get shown unless it’s priced to draw attention. It won’t draw attention if it is priced beyond other like-homes on the market.  Optimizing the asking price for any particular house is an art effected by an experienced Realtor.   A Realtor will determine the correct asking price for a house by evaluating the prices of current “comps” on the market, balanced by the results of recent sales of similar homes, and then adjust for factors like location, adjacencies, and condition. ”Correct” is the operative term.  It means the price at which the house will draw attention and sell faster than other homes, yet is optimized for the market.

Condition:  The price also must be relative to the condition of the house.  Condition is the most powerful differentiator for any home.  It’s not an objective feature like square feet, or number of bedrooms.  It’s subjective.  Listing statements most always say something positive about the condition of the house – why wouldn’t they?  But, clean is clean, neat is neat, well-maintained is well-maintained.  You know it when you see it.  Walking through a number of similar houses for sale, it will be the condition that ultimately determines a buyer’s impression of any particular house.

The seller determines what the condition of their property will be.   How they choose to present the home and property will have an effect on the price – both asking and selling.  Condition is the Element of the Sale over which the seller has all the control.  The agent can inspect the house and develop a plan to prepare the house for sale, but it’s the seller who must execute the plan.  Preparation can include some or all of the following (elaboration on each of the following bullet points can be found on the “Selling” page of my website):

• Fix-up, Clean-up, Paint up
• Update
• Neutralize the interior (de-personalize)
• Enlarge the space
• De-Clutter

Over the course of their occupancies, all homeowners do not attend to the maintenance of the structure and substance of their houses the same.  Some properties may need much less work than others in order to be well-presented.  Some owners may choose not to put forth any time and/or effort, and must accept that it will have an effect on the value of the house.

Marketing:  The agent’s responsibility is to generate potential buyers.  Utilizing the Multiple Listing Service, websites, blogs, video tour postings, social media, yard signs, printed collateral, and other methods, the agent can broadly promote the property.  With correct pricing and effective marketing, interested buyers will want to see the house.  If the house has been well prepared by the sellers, the impression it will make over its competition will bring offers.