Which brings me to the thoughts on why some listings sell and some don’t!  Several elements are paramount:

1) Location, of course! Location has always had impact and continues to do so.  But, you can’t do anything about your current location (short of moving your house).  So, you must work with what you can change.

2) Pricing is Paramount!  You have to be “ahead” of the market is pricing (and, yes, you must compete with short-sales and foreclosures…no one said life was going to be fair)!  If you are “chasing the market down” you will end up losing money as the listing gets “tired” and “stale”.  If you really want to sell, price it like you really want to sell!

3) Exposure!  Over 90% of all real estate searches start online.  Where is yours?  Are the photos impressive and alluring?  If your listing shows well on the internet, it will entice viewers to go from “virtual showings” to “in-person showings”

4) Staging and Condition!  Unless you are attempting to sell for less than is owed on the property, attractive staging and good conditions must exist.  If you are selling short, you don’t want to put any more time, effort or money into the property but, otherwise, you must have everything in order.  Smells must be eliminated, pets contained, paint re-touched or re-done, workwork spruced, carpet and wood floors evaluated….remember the competition is stiff out there and you have to be on your “A-Game”!!

Some Realtors are scientists.  They run the numbers.  They do the math.  They analyze and hope to find the truth.

You can’t ignore the numbers, they don’t lie…..or do they?  The numbers don’t lie but the real estate business deals with humans and they are the “wild card”.  When you deal with humans (and the largest purchase the average human will make is their real estate purchase) you are dealing with emotion!!  Particularly in a residential transaction!

Other Realtors are artists.  They connect and intuit.  These agents are using their gut, acknowledging the experiences they gain everyday by being with other buyers.  This should definitely provide some answers….but will it provide all the answers? 

Are you confused? Well, don’t worry as you are not alone.  We, as professionals working in our chosen field of real estate, are confused in our present marketplace.  I do believe the savvy Realtor has to run the numbers, but in this market, the numbers WILL often lie.  So, you have to add what your gut tells you and what your intuition sells you.  It’s often a “hard sell” to a disappointed seller who doesn’t understand why his property just won’t garner what was hoped.  But, nothing is more disappointing than overpricing your listing and not selling.  You end up “chasing the market down” instead of leveraging what little control a seller might have in this market by pricing correctly.  It ends up a bitter disillusionment for all involved.  It’s not a perfect science or a perfect art, but it does take a lot of cooperation, listening and, most of all, TRUST!