Q&A For Our Sellers: What To Know and Expect with CJRE
Selling your first home? Selling one of your multiple rental units? Looking to buy a home but it's contingent on the sale of your current home? WE ARE HERE FOR YOU! At Carl Johnson Real Estate we have done it all and have created strong true tested processes for you our seller no matter their property selling situation. Real below for a sit down Q&A session with Carl to get to know how we operate at Carl Johnson Real Estate. You can learn what our selling process is like to make your confident decision to work with us as the best Real Estate company in the Triangle!
I am a first time home seller, can you walk me through what this process will look like?
I pride myself in educating all my clients, first time home sellers and experienced home sellers. Like with my business meeting with buyers, I also have a business meeting with sellers. After I have collected all the details about the property that will be sold, I schedule a meeting that includes the following. We review my talking points on how we will collaborate together, setting up some commitments to communication etc. Then we review all the documents involved in the process of selling the home where we uncover some nuggets that put my clients in a place of knowledge so that they do not have any surprises during the process. We'll talk about the process from the buyer’s point of view and from the seller’s point of view. We discuss different inspections, due diligence period, earnest money, and additional inspections that may be requested by buyers. We discuss all the disclosures that the seller presents to the buyers. We discuss any upgrades or repairs that the seller has done and how they can highlighted when the property goes to market.
Then we review my competitive marketing analysis about the property that is being sold. This meeting is crucial to my clients educational needs and empowers them during the process. After the meeting the client and myself have a much deeper understanding of each other and this leads to a smooth and as stress free process as possible.
What is the process for pricing before putting your house on the market and how do you help with this process?
As a pricing specialist, I come to the house to assess it and come up with the best market price to go to market with. I price the house so that we can be placed in a position of strength when the home enters the market. I come up with a price after seeing the inside and outside of the house and speaking with the homeowners. During that time we also look inside and outside the house for any repairs, decluttering, or staging opportunities that need to be made so that the house hits the market in its best condition possible. I am always paying attention to what you the seller is comfortable with so this process is a partnership. I want you to feel comfortable.
If my property sale is contingent on me buying my next house, is this something to make you aware of as we start the listing process?
Yes this is an important aspect of the process and actually I have accomplished this for my clients several times. While it puts a bit more pressure on the process and may limit the home the client is purchasing, this may be a good choice for the client. The limitations of the choice of house is due to the seller’s willingness to accept an offer contingent upon selling a home to qualify for the purchase of the new home. The target for this may be a home that has been on the market for an extended period of time and or a home that is not in move-in condition. Whatever the situation, I am here to talk through the options and come up with a roadmap guiding my client to their destination.
How do you help with staging, decluttering, and overall making the house stand out from competitors?
Some sellers are different than other sellers. Some sellers are willing to do more when it comes to selling their house that other aren’t. I suggest everything that would position my client’s property in the strongest positioning strategy to go to market. When I walk through the house, we talk about opportunities for increasing the sales price and what the seller can do to assist with that. Decluttering, organizing closets, repositioning furniture, replacing artwork, sometimes even removing a lot of items from rooms so the rooms are more of a blank canvas for the buyers. I enjoy lending my design eye to assist with the process.
Can I live in my home as we list it or do I have to be moved out?
The choice is of the client. I always suggest if you are living in the home when selling, to pack up everything you are not using in the closets and cabinetry and put it in storage or the garage. Since the client is moving it makes the home show better as cluttered and full closets and cabinets send a message that there is not enough storage in the home. The next stage in getting ready to list should the client live in the home when selling, is to stage with the existing furnishing and accessories or to hire a staging company that stages homes that are occupied. The investment of the staging efforts yields on a national average of a 10% increase in sale price for a professionally staged home versus a home that is not staged.
What key points do you tend to focus on when marketing a house to make it more desirable to buyers?
I always like to look at what makes the house unique, what the positive attributes are of the home. It could be condition, it could be location, it could be special features. I like to focus on what makes that home so unique and then come up with a winning marketing strategy that allows that house to put its best foot forward when entering the market.
Which is more important, selling quick or getting the highest possible offer?
I try to get the most amount of money in the shortest amount of time possible. The first week to two weeks are the most important time. Having the house in its best condition places the property in a place of strength to receive the highest amount of offers thus getting the highest amount in the shortest period of time.
Do you recommend any home upgrades to do before listing? Should I have a selling budget in mind - what I am willing to spend - to help my property sell? For example, something small like getting the carpets professionally cleaned to bigger items like installing all new carpet?
It all comes down to resources, time and willingness to do the work. I have had clients sell without making any adjustments to the property, and I have had some clients do just a few items and then other clients that did extensive work. It all depends upon the market conditions, the type of home and the location.
I had a home that I sold that was in its original charm of the 1980’s. The wall paper was abundant, the carpet, cabinets and countertops all original charm. Even the HVAC was original. It took a particular client to find the diamond in the rough and we did. We had a 1975 Time Capsule home https://www.carljohnsonrealestate.com/4604-st-andrews-drive-north-wilson-355109.html , everything original, and we also had a 1950’s Retro all original home https://www.carljohnsonrealestate.com/202-w-carver-durham.html even with the original kitchen and phone. Both did very well on the market as the condition of the home was so good. Buyers do love a time capsule home and both did very well on the market. Demanding multiple offers and selling for over asking price. One home we sold had many cosmetic things done; paint, replacing flooring, light fixtures, extensive trimming of landscaping around the home. This home sold very fast and with multiple offers and for way over asking.
What are your marketing strategies?
Sometimes I mail 100 postcards to nearby homeowners in the area. I usually suggest having an open house. When multiple people are entering the house at the same time during an open house it creates a sense of urgency for competition in offers, making buyers put in offers quicker and in higher amounts.
I sometimes partner with an organization to sell a property should there be a connection. One home that I recently listed i created a marketing partnership with a school. I promoted that home to all the parents of that school through the following vehicles: School facebook page posts, flyers that the kids took home. In return, we made a donation to the school.
I also send an email to all the agents in the Triangle when the listing is live. I post on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. I have many connections with Realtors on social media. Another unique way I promote my listings is something called house talk cards which promote special features in the house when buyers are previewing the home. I make information very accessible to buyers and even include a phone number for information about the property on the listing sign.
I also may put flyers at the road at the for sale sign. I include additional information about the home in flyers and or packets that buyers can see when touring the house.
Putting together a notebook full of manuals for the appliances, information about the upgrades including all the invoices for each upgrade and the information behind the upgrade. Each house is different and that is what I enjoy about the process. Making each house shine to its fullest capability. My go-to is always going above and beyond.
We also do a high volume of digital marketing, from social media to ads.
We do what it takes to sell a property.
From multiple offers to price cuts, are you available to talk to me as a seller for all questions that pop up?
I am always available to speak with my clients during business hours and be a resource for them. As markets change there is a learning curve for everyone as we navigate the new dynamics of the market. I pride myself in being there for my clients.
I pride myself in educating all my clients, first time home sellers and experienced home sellers. Like with my business meeting with buyers, I also have a business meeting with sellers. After I have collected all the details about the property that will be sold, I schedule a meeting that includes the following. We review my talking points on how we will collaborate together, setting up some commitments to communication etc. Then we review all the documents involved in the process of selling the home where we uncover some nuggets that put my clients in a place of knowledge so that they do not have any surprises during the process. We'll talk about the process from the buyer’s point of view and from the seller’s point of view. We discuss different inspections, due diligence period, earnest money, and additional inspections that may be requested by buyers. We discuss all the disclosures that the seller presents to the buyers. We discuss any upgrades or repairs that the seller has done and how they can highlighted when the property goes to market.
Then we review my competitive marketing analysis about the property that is being sold. This meeting is crucial to my clients educational needs and empowers them during the process. After the meeting the client and myself have a much deeper understanding of each other and this leads to a smooth and as stress free process as possible.
What is the process for pricing before putting your house on the market and how do you help with this process?
As a pricing specialist, I come to the house to assess it and come up with the best market price to go to market with. I price the house so that we can be placed in a position of strength when the home enters the market. I come up with a price after seeing the inside and outside of the house and speaking with the homeowners. During that time we also look inside and outside the house for any repairs, decluttering, or staging opportunities that need to be made so that the house hits the market in its best condition possible. I am always paying attention to what you the seller is comfortable with so this process is a partnership. I want you to feel comfortable.
If my property sale is contingent on me buying my next house, is this something to make you aware of as we start the listing process?
Yes this is an important aspect of the process and actually I have accomplished this for my clients several times. While it puts a bit more pressure on the process and may limit the home the client is purchasing, this may be a good choice for the client. The limitations of the choice of house is due to the seller’s willingness to accept an offer contingent upon selling a home to qualify for the purchase of the new home. The target for this may be a home that has been on the market for an extended period of time and or a home that is not in move-in condition. Whatever the situation, I am here to talk through the options and come up with a roadmap guiding my client to their destination.
How do you help with staging, decluttering, and overall making the house stand out from competitors?
Some sellers are different than other sellers. Some sellers are willing to do more when it comes to selling their house that other aren’t. I suggest everything that would position my client’s property in the strongest positioning strategy to go to market. When I walk through the house, we talk about opportunities for increasing the sales price and what the seller can do to assist with that. Decluttering, organizing closets, repositioning furniture, replacing artwork, sometimes even removing a lot of items from rooms so the rooms are more of a blank canvas for the buyers. I enjoy lending my design eye to assist with the process.
Can I live in my home as we list it or do I have to be moved out?
The choice is of the client. I always suggest if you are living in the home when selling, to pack up everything you are not using in the closets and cabinetry and put it in storage or the garage. Since the client is moving it makes the home show better as cluttered and full closets and cabinets send a message that there is not enough storage in the home. The next stage in getting ready to list should the client live in the home when selling, is to stage with the existing furnishing and accessories or to hire a staging company that stages homes that are occupied. The investment of the staging efforts yields on a national average of a 10% increase in sale price for a professionally staged home versus a home that is not staged.
What key points do you tend to focus on when marketing a house to make it more desirable to buyers?
I always like to look at what makes the house unique, what the positive attributes are of the home. It could be condition, it could be location, it could be special features. I like to focus on what makes that home so unique and then come up with a winning marketing strategy that allows that house to put its best foot forward when entering the market.
Which is more important, selling quick or getting the highest possible offer?
I try to get the most amount of money in the shortest amount of time possible. The first week to two weeks are the most important time. Having the house in its best condition places the property in a place of strength to receive the highest amount of offers thus getting the highest amount in the shortest period of time.
Do you recommend any home upgrades to do before listing? Should I have a selling budget in mind - what I am willing to spend - to help my property sell? For example, something small like getting the carpets professionally cleaned to bigger items like installing all new carpet?
It all comes down to resources, time and willingness to do the work. I have had clients sell without making any adjustments to the property, and I have had some clients do just a few items and then other clients that did extensive work. It all depends upon the market conditions, the type of home and the location.
I had a home that I sold that was in its original charm of the 1980’s. The wall paper was abundant, the carpet, cabinets and countertops all original charm. Even the HVAC was original. It took a particular client to find the diamond in the rough and we did. We had a 1975 Time Capsule home https://www.carljohnsonrealestate.com/4604-st-andrews-drive-north-wilson-355109.html , everything original, and we also had a 1950’s Retro all original home https://www.carljohnsonrealestate.com/202-w-carver-durham.html even with the original kitchen and phone. Both did very well on the market as the condition of the home was so good. Buyers do love a time capsule home and both did very well on the market. Demanding multiple offers and selling for over asking price. One home we sold had many cosmetic things done; paint, replacing flooring, light fixtures, extensive trimming of landscaping around the home. This home sold very fast and with multiple offers and for way over asking.
What are your marketing strategies?
Sometimes I mail 100 postcards to nearby homeowners in the area. I usually suggest having an open house. When multiple people are entering the house at the same time during an open house it creates a sense of urgency for competition in offers, making buyers put in offers quicker and in higher amounts.
I sometimes partner with an organization to sell a property should there be a connection. One home that I recently listed i created a marketing partnership with a school. I promoted that home to all the parents of that school through the following vehicles: School facebook page posts, flyers that the kids took home. In return, we made a donation to the school.
I also send an email to all the agents in the Triangle when the listing is live. I post on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. I have many connections with Realtors on social media. Another unique way I promote my listings is something called house talk cards which promote special features in the house when buyers are previewing the home. I make information very accessible to buyers and even include a phone number for information about the property on the listing sign.
I also may put flyers at the road at the for sale sign. I include additional information about the home in flyers and or packets that buyers can see when touring the house.
Putting together a notebook full of manuals for the appliances, information about the upgrades including all the invoices for each upgrade and the information behind the upgrade. Each house is different and that is what I enjoy about the process. Making each house shine to its fullest capability. My go-to is always going above and beyond.
We also do a high volume of digital marketing, from social media to ads.
We do what it takes to sell a property.
From multiple offers to price cuts, are you available to talk to me as a seller for all questions that pop up?
I am always available to speak with my clients during business hours and be a resource for them. As markets change there is a learning curve for everyone as we navigate the new dynamics of the market. I pride myself in being there for my clients.
We are experienced, knowledgeable, and a trusted team that is here for YOU! From your first home sale to your last we want to help you have a stress free time listing your property while also winning in any market. CLICK HERE to read about Relocating Made Easy as the Triangle area continues to grow and be a great thriving place to live.
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