When they called to inquire about marketing their home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, they were understandably concerned.  They had heard the stories about how houses were not selling and were well aware of the large number of homes for sale around them.  They had very different approaches to the process.  He was more methodical and had laid back charm about him.  She was practical and realistic; she wanted to focus on getting things done quickly.

They had been referred to us by their friends who had successfully sold their home with Audu Real Estate. Before I booked the appointment, I clearly spelled out what would be involved in a listing appointment.  My marketing plan is very thorough and the listing presentation would involve a detailed review of their home to Stage it correctly.  They needed to anticipate a 2-3 hour time frame.  They were a little surprised but checked their schedules and we agreed to a date on the calendar.

Today, less than 65 days after that first meeting, their smiles of joy lit up the room during their Closing.  Their home was sold in less than 30 days!   I think in retrospect that 2-3 hours spent at the beginning was worth it's weight in gold....or at least dollars.  

Marketing a home and creating a strategy to Sell and Stage a home is not an easy task. Prior to our presentation, our client specialist Ed Vogt and I spent several hours in painstaking research to determine the best possible pricing strategy for their area. 

After  the listing presentation, we re-toured the house with the home owners to show them how to "put the show on the road" from a Staging Perspective. Our final act before we left, was to ask them if we could ask for the Grace of a Blessing on their home.  We explained that our best efforts could not yield the results that God's blessing would.  We all joined in a simple request for grace.

The home was placed on the market and an Open House scheduled.  The Open House yielded one Mortgage Broker who intercepted a potential buyer and apparently sent her fleeing.  This is a trend that we are seeing more of in Grand Rapids...Mortgage lenders arriving unannounced at Open Houses to solicit real estate agents.  We weren't really pleased by the prospecting tactics of this one.

Thankfully we explain to all our clients that you don't need 100 people to walk though your house to sell it.  You only need one person...the right buyer!  In this case this was especially true.  After one canceled showing...the right buyer showed up and wrote an intelligent offer.  And today, our seller's had solid cash in their hands from the Sale of their home!

After the papers were signed, we gave each Important Participant a box of Godiva Chocolates.  This tradition is our way of saying Thanks for Making it Possible for Us to Succeed in Our Job!  The other Realtor was shocked.  She said that in decades of doing transactions, NO ONE had ever thanked her with a gift!  She immediately began to think of how she could incorporate this into her business. 

Sitting at that table I was struck by how far a little kindness can go.  Simply being polite during a transaction and following through on your word can make a world of difference.  Simply Telling the truth about what it will take to sell a home can save a lot of heartache.  Simply Being willing to go the extra mile in preparing a home owner can make the difference between a sale or no sale.  Simply Responding to professional counsel can determine success or failure.  It's these vital, yet Simple things that make a big difference.  And then again perhaps they are not Simple things at all!

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