How We Prep Our Properties For Market So That Clients Always Win
If you’ve been in tune to the world of real estate at all this year, you know how the story goes: interest rates are high, inventory is low, the market is wild.
This is the story that’s been on repeat most of the year and while some of those things may be true, as an agent I refuse to let people believe that you have to “time the market” in order to win in real estate.
It’s just not possible.
The only way you really win in real estate – regardless of what the market is doing – is when you play the game strategically, have a team on your side to help you navigate the process and are making decisions that are best for YOU.
Here’s the thing: the market is what it is right now. We can’t control it, as much as we want to, so with that in mind I always try to keep my focus on what we CAN control.
Control the controllables all day long – that’s what’s most important!
As your agent, I can’t control the inventory and I can’t control the interest rates.
But what I CAN control is how we prep our properties for market and the way we strategically play the game so that our clients still win.
And by “win” in this case, I specifically mean helping them receive multiple offers… even in a high rate, crazy market.
YES, it’s still possible and I know that because a handful of my clients in the last few months have experienced just that. And watching it happen has been so incredible.
In fact, in the last two years every listing we’ve put on the market has sold either after an open house or prior because of the prep.
Wins like that don’t just happen by chance, so in this blog post I’m breaking down exactly what we do to prepare our properties for market in a way that gets our sellers from listing to closing as quickly as possible!
4 Ways We Prep Our Properties For Market So That Clients Win
Professional Real Estate Stager
When it comes to real estate, working with an agent that partners with others in the industry is SO key. Whether you’re selling or buying, you need certain people on your team to make sure that you are covered throughout the entire process.
For sellers specifically, my stager is one of those people!
I personally work with Tami at B Staged Montana and she is a major part of our dream team.
Tami helps my sellers get ahead of their listing by giving them a checklist for what to pack and what to leave.
After they’ve been guided on what to do, Tami will bring supplemental items to use as finishing touches on the home, but mostly uses what people already have.
She also makes staging super simple because she works in a way so that they can stage the property while the sellers are still living there!
All of these things help ease some of the stress for sellers because they aren’t having to guess on what to do, they don’t have to pack up their whole life right away and they can continue living as normal until the house is sold.
Oftentimes, our listings will hit the market strategically on a weekend, so that our sellers can plan to be off property for a short amount of time and don’t have to navigate adjusting their regular schedule as much.
In-House Photographer for Professional Photography
Another huge part of the dream team is our in-house photographer, Juli Fields.
It’s no secret that professional photography is a necessity when it comes to listing and selling your home and Julie delivers like no other!
The real key to having her a part of our team, however, is that she has a 24 hour turnaround. 🤯
What that means to you as a seller is that you can stage your property based on Tami’s recommendations and support, have Juli take listing photos on a Wednesday and your property could be ready for listing by Thursday.
Talk about a game changer!
Through my years of real estate work, I can tell you that this is NOT the norm. I want my clients to have time on their side as much as possible, which is why working with Juli is a non-negotiable in my book.
Open House Packet
Aside from having a dream team on your side, there’s also a lot that goes into actually listing your home and making sure that you’re completely prepared for potential buyers.
One of the first things that I have my sellers do is fill out a property information sheet first and this essentially covers any FAQ that buyers typically have when they come through open houses.
After working in the industry for 10 years, I found that many buyers have the same type of questions, so I wanted a way to get ahead of those questions and be able to answer them right off the bat. That’s what this info sheet does for us!
Of course there’s information that’s already included from the MLS, but this goes way beyond that, which makes buyers WAY more confident and it truly makes an open house so seamless.
In fact, just the other day I had an agent send me this message:
Having an open house packet like this really does make all the difference!
Time Listings Strategically
Lastly, we always want to be as strategic as possible with your property listing.
Now, I continue to believe that you can’t time the market, but you CAN time the way people generally house hunt.
And that is: weekends.
Knowing this, I always try to work with clients to list their property on a Thursday and host two back to back open houses on a weekend, all with the hope of reviewing offers on a Monday!
This is a win/win for both – buyers and sellers – because buyers don’t have to adjust their schedule through the week to tour homes and sellers don’t have to uproot their life during the work week for home tours.
Of course, it doesn’t always work out this way, but a lot of times it DOES and it’s so fun when we can make it happen like this!
At the end of the day, I believe that real estate agents should act as educated advisors who give their clients an edge to create opportunities for themselves through real estate.
And that’s the very reason that I approach our properties this way!
Henry Ford once said, “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”
I believe that to be true – doing something the way it’s always been done will yield the same results, which is why I’m committed to thinking outside the box and doing things differently (even if they go against the “norm”), so that my clients can always win! 🏆
So, if you’re thinking of selling in the Billings, Montana area (or elsewhere – I know people 👀), CONNECT HERE to start the conversation!
I’d love to be your guide through the entire process to make sure that you’re making the decisions that are best for you.
