How 2811 Longmeadow Dr. Sold For $170,000

   I did know my client/seller several years before the sale of this home. The home was in good condition the first time I saw it but it did have flaws, as mostly every home does. My initial walk-through with the seller revealed several areas with room for improvement but nothing of major concern was noticed. I assumed because no 'deal killers' were discovered during our tour of the home that at the end of our initial walk-through my client lets me know that he thinks his home is worth $160,000 and is ready to sign a listing agreement and list the home for that price. Having caught me a little off guard, I suggested that maybe we have a home inspection done first to reveal any 'deal killers' that might be hiding in the parts of the home that we can't see with a walk-through. He then explained how he did not want to start pouring money into the home just to get to rid of it. I start bringing his attention to the areas I noticed to be in need of repair/updating and told him money is already going to have to be spent for certain repairs and upgrades, explaining how once we are under contract these same issues could cost more money than he's willing to pay. Having brought that to his attention he's now open to a few repairs and at that time I asked for a couple of days to research the area/neighborhood to not only make sure his price of $160,000 was justifiable but also to make sure we're not leaving any money on the table.

  I presented my research of this area/neighborhood and pointed out key features of those results, none more important to him than the $170,000 I thought the home could bring. This was obviously 10K more that he thought and 10K that could have potentially been left on the table. This helped him come around to the idea that a few repairs and updates could be a good thing. I explained how this number cannot be reached without us working together as a team and how his cooperation and acceptance of suggestions will be crutial in achieving his main goal of $170,000. Having also worked as a buyers agent I shared a few experiences about what buyers are looking for when making a choice on a new home. One of these areas is the kitchen, which was one of the areas of the home that needed attention. We then took another home tour, this time taking notes on everything we noticed that needed to be addressed. My client/seller addressed several issues such as but not limited to cracked/broken outdoor siding, outdoor wood-rotted trim, re-caulking, re-painting, broken water faucet handles, upgrading electrical breaker, missing roof shingles/floor tiles, re-grouting, smoke detectors, installing a removable access/maintenance door to hottub motor, leveling of outdoor area on one side of home and removing, re-painting and re-installing living area base boards. Definitely the best upgrade ended up being the kitchen where my seller added 10 ft of cabinets and counter-top space and changed the whole look and feel of that area. I also have to mention that most of the home was staged to give buyers a look and feel of how space could be utilized. We then ordered a home inspection and when we received the inspection report my client also addressed additional issues such as trimming trees and shrubs away from home, installing back-up protectors on outdoor sprinkler system, sun-proofing roof exhaust vents, stabilizing door threshold and installing spring door hinges along with a few other minor issues. 

  For some this might seem like an overwhelming list but other than the cost of the cabinets, the expense for the other repairs and upgrades was only a few hundred dollars. So for a little over $2,000 we were able to add $10,000 to my client/seller profit. We ended up listing this property on a Thursday and by Monday we had 3 excellent offers. After examining and comparing the offers my client/seller ended up choosing the offer we thought was the best/safest deal along with a back-up offer, and this turned out to be a smooth transaction. Of course none of this could have been possible without the understanding and cooperation of my client/seller so a huge thank you to him. This is how 2811 Longmeadow sold for more than any other home in it's neighborhood at the time. I understand everyone's situation is different but if you're interested in what your home could go for on the open market and how you could get the most for it, I'd be glad to sit down with you and have a discussion about your situation to come up with a plan on how YOU can get the most money out of your current home.

Christopher Valdez, Real Estate Consultant

RE/MAX Realty Advantage

cell: 210.260.8613