Dallas was interested in selling his home and I was interviewed along with several other real estate agents. He originally chose a family friend, so I was surprised when I heard from him a couple of weeks after our first meeting. He wanted me to sell his home!
I knew it would be a lot of work to get this home to look it’s best. I could have suggested leaving the home as is and reducing the price – as the original agent wanted to do – but I also knew that the home had hidden value. It would be a challenge and there wasn’t money for a stager or renovations but I was up to it.
I had several years of experience upgrading my furnished rentals. We had rented them for longer terms and each time tenants moved out I would upgrade the suites. I am not a professional stager but do have staging experience from the rentals and the several homes we had bought/renovated and sold over the years.
Dallas had lost his wife a short while ago and had just gotten out of the hospital when I first met him. He had undergone major surgery and had spent several weeks recovering. After getting home, he decided that he had enough of taking care of his home. He was done with upkeep and yard work and there was just him now in the home so he didn’t need all of that space. He had a camper that he had used while working up north and it was time for an extended vacation!
Dallas had lived in the home for a long time, raising his family there. Like most people who have live in a home for years, there was a lot of stuff that wasn’t really needed anymore. While he did have some mobility problems, he also had some help and was able to spend considerable time decluttering several areas of the home.
Once most of the decluttering was done, a handyman came in to fix a few things. I was also able to find a crew of cleaners who went through the home from top to bottom.
Then it was time to make his home stand out. As I said earlier, there wasn’t a lot of money for staging, so a few items from local stores helped. An area rug to ground and balance the living room. A slip cover for the worn couch. Some pillows, fresh flowers and a table runner for a worn coffee table. Also some storage containers to hide what he wasn’t able to put away.
Once everything was deemed ready, photographers were booked, along with a measurement professional. A sign was installed and a lockbox to allow entry to buyers agents. A buyer take-away brochure was created. Videos and ads were running.
Several showings were booked and plans were made so Dallas could be out of the home. Dallas still had some health and mobility problems so when he couldn’t get out, we made special arrangements so he could be out out of the way, in his office or out in his trailer.
Once the home was ready, It really didn’t take long for others to see value in the home and for us to receive several offers. It was quite exciting and I carefully explained each offer along with the differences and what the buyer might be looking for, always looking for the win/win. We ended up picking a really strong offer and were fortunate that the buyer had strong financing arranged.
Dallas had a lot of packing to do! He was working on removing items from the home right up to the morning of possession. His bin was removed within moments of the buyer’s possession time but he got it done. I happily watched him pull away to start his new life.
Gone Fishing…
We sold my house in just over three weeks of putting it on the market, for a price remarkably close to the asking price.
On the initial interview with Terry, she presented very well with an elaborate and effective brochure. Her presentation was professional and concise.
I had shopped around for selling agents and Terry was second on my short list. I initially went with another agent due to referrals. They had a good presentation, however I felt they were looking for a quick sell with a lower price, so I switched to Terry.
Best decision ever! After signing with Terry, she was extremely easy to work with. She staged my house and had me declutter in ways I would never have thought of. She worked her butt off arranging cleaning, Bin disposal and many other tasks. No detail was too small in order to get to maximum showing condition.
I enjoyed working with Terry and her energetic way of doing things, I don’t know how many other clients she was working with but if she spent as much time with each of her clients as she did with me, she was a very busy lady.
She was amazingly easy to get along with and we had fun selling my house. When it came down to the final sale, she was more excited and more energetic in closing than I was. I think that my favorite thing about working with Terry was she was always in an upbeat mood and she had a way of getting me to do things in a pleasant and understanding way, she explained why things had to be done and what the benefits would be.
I recommend Terry to represent anybody as a sales agent. They will not be disappointed.
Dallas McNeil,
formerly of Calgary.
