So, yeah... this was my house.
After 24 years of living in our home, both time and circumstance collided resulting in our need to sell. Martin toured, made some strong suggestions to improve the marketability of the property to a wider buyer pool, and after a limited amount of updating, the home went on sale. Competing homes in the area had recently closed at an average of $600 PSF. We came to market at an appropriate price - but lower than what we wanted. The rest, as they say, is history.
Some transaction highlights:
1) The primary color in the upstairs was a deep red. Painting everything to a more neutral white/cream while still retaining some color differentials brightened up everything without it looking "flip-ish". Martin's painter referrals were the best! Clean, quick, and professional.
2) Our neighbor across the street recently went with a white and brown exterior that everyone said was the best look for the home. Rather than reinventing the wheel, Martin suggested that we paint our exterior home in the same theme rather than keeping our builder's original paint colors . The 1990's had it's own idea of what a good house color was, but there aren't many people today who want a dusky grey, but fully HOA approved!!! colored home. That said, every buyer we encountered said the look really sealed the deal for them. The colors are now HOA approved and a few other properties in the area have converted to this look.
3) The home had various light fixtures, but really not enough to make the home "pop" as Martin said. The money we spent on additional lights was more than we wanted to at the time, but looking back, it was exactly the right thing to do.
With all the work Martin suggested that we do, we were more than $20k into the pre-listing process and uncertain if we'd get that back in the final price.
4) Most of the competing listings started at higher prices than ours but ended up on the market too long, and often closing at a lower price than ours. One example: 19 Ceramica (same street, bigger home) listed by a brand name "Area Expert" (pffft) in May for $1.499m. It had 2 open houses, 3 price reductions, one cancelled contract, and finally sold 90 days later at $1.400m. That's about a 6 percent loss from the original list price. Compare that with Martin's strategy - list at area market 600 PSF price, or $1,350m. We had one open house - during the hottest day of 2024 at 104 degrees no less! - 8 competitive offers, and closed within 37 days at $1.435m. 2 months quicker sale time, fewer open houses, zero failed offers, and ending up closing at a higher price than a same street home yielding around 8% over list!
So what are the takeaways here? Easy! First, be sure to call Martin Mania at (714) 747-3884 if you are considering selling or buying real estate. Second, if Martin makes a marketing suggestion that seems expensive or counter-intuitive, as they say at Nike.... "Just do it"... After his many years of experience as both a Realtor and a CPA, trust the source, and trust his process. Granted, my sale will not be like your sale. There are many factors that go into getting the best price for your home. Markets change on a dime. Who then do you want to be the captain of the ship when the seas get rough and tumbled? You want someone with experience, someone who has a heart for service, and finally someone with a solid background in finance. These crucial factors will narrow your choice down to only one Realtor.
Thanks again Martin for helping us navigate through the process. I couldn't of had a better experience.
SGIP
