Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 11/02/2007 - 03:57.
Home sellers, builders and agents need to pull out the stops to sell homes
Across the country, Bob Schultz, a Florida-based sales consultant, has been holding "Home Sales Boot Camps" for agents.
"Every builder and every real estate broker should be training their people how to deal with this kind of market," Schultz said. Agents who don't adapt won't be around much longer.
During a recent training session at Prudential's Brea office, about 50 agents heard tips on pricing, prepping and photographing homes to get them ready for market.
After they've gotten a home priced right and set an appropriate commission, trainers said, agents need to convince their clients to "stage" their homes, a process of getting residences ready to show.
Staging's key features include making repairs, decorating and removing clutter so home shoppers can visualize themselves living there.
While staging can be expensive, trainers said all the costs related to making the home look better are less than the money lost in one price reduction.
Since most buyers now shop for homes on the Internet, trainers said agents need to make sure photos of the home are top-notch, if not professionally done.
Other tricks involve setting a price range, rather than a single price, so the home shows up more often in Internet searches, since shoppers often limit queries by price.
In the fast market of two years ago, Pelton said, houses sold themselves. Not anymore. Learn more about home staging in the Real Estate Guide Section.
Source: http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/money/ article_1741719.php
"Every builder and every real estate broker should be training their people how to deal with this kind of market," Schultz said. Agents who don't adapt won't be around much longer.
During a recent training session at Prudential's Brea office, about 50 agents heard tips on pricing, prepping and photographing homes to get them ready for market.
After they've gotten a home priced right and set an appropriate commission, trainers said, agents need to convince their clients to "stage" their homes, a process of getting residences ready to show.
Staging's key features include making repairs, decorating and removing clutter so home shoppers can visualize themselves living there.
While staging can be expensive, trainers said all the costs related to making the home look better are less than the money lost in one price reduction.
Since most buyers now shop for homes on the Internet, trainers said agents need to make sure photos of the home are top-notch, if not professionally done.
Other tricks involve setting a price range, rather than a single price, so the home shows up more often in Internet searches, since shoppers often limit queries by price.
In the fast market of two years ago, Pelton said, houses sold themselves. Not anymore. Learn more about home staging in the Real Estate Guide Section.
Source: http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/money/ article_1741719.php
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