Kristin Garnett - SELLING THE UNSELLABLE HOME

SELLING THE UNSELLABLE HOME

Kristin Garnett

Table Of Contents

Why Should You Read This Book?

Does Listing Price Matter?

What to Avoid

Why It's So Easy to Sell Your Home for Less Than It's Worth

What Stops Perfect Homes from Selling

How to Sell a Home That Didn't Sell — Without Dropping the Price

Avoid This Rule at Your Own Risk

Why This 20% Rule Applies to Hard-To-Sell Homes

Grabbing Any Buyer's Attention

10. Luxury Home-Seller Strategy Sells Homes for 15% More Money

11. Why Home Staging Really Matters

12. Make Your Home Spotless

13. Details Win Home Sales

14. Important Features of a Home

15. Why Pictures of Your Home Can Stop It from Selling

16. The 3-Step Formula I Use to Sell Homes Others Couldn't Sell 69

17. Why Every Billionaire Home Sells

18. Negotiation Mistakes

19. Simple Negotiation Ideas

20. Why Your Dog Wants You to Hire Me to Sell Your Home

21. This Big Mistake Cost One Home Seller $36,000

22. Read This Before You Sign a Contract With a Buyer

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23. Should You Consider Hiring a Real Estate Agent?

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Testimonials & Reviews for Kristin Garnett

Kristin is awesome. As our realtor she met and exceeded our expectations. She listens to your wants and needs and found us a perfect home. She was patient with us as we wanted to tour both ends of our budget. She has a lot of contacts in Portland and surrounding neighborhoods making it easy come inspection time. Thanks again Kristin and if you need a realtor she's top notch. Dcan Uno Kristin was amazing to work with. She gave me great advice the whole way through. She explains things thoroughly and is a great negotiator. I’m so grateful for her help and expertise. I recommend her 1000% Joanna Hofer Kristin was a pleasure to work with. We hit a small speed bump during the transaction but she helped us navigate around it with ease like a true professional! Looking forward to working with her again in the future. Colton Zakowski - Reger Homes Realty

Great agent and a pleasure to work with! Brian Eason – Century 21

Kristin was great to work with, she listened to what we needed and helped us get the perfect house that met our needs. Guadalupe Harris Working with Kristin was a pleasure! She was supportive and attentive as we searched for the right house, and she did a great job negotiating once we found it Jean Little vii

I cannot speak highly enough of Kristin and the outstanding job she did as our realtor. From start to finish, she was a consummate professional, always going above and beyond to ensure that we found the perfect home. Her dedication, expertise, and attention to detail were second to none, and we felt confident and supported throughout the entire process. Christopher Quiambo Kristin is AMAZING. From start to finish she was there for us and more. We couldn’t imagine going through this process with anyone else. Her knowledge and experience in the market & her passion and drive to get us in the right house for us were unmatched. She helped us secure our dream house and we couldn’t be more thankful for her time and efforts. We cannot say enough good things about her. If we could give 10 stars we would!! Brooke Scheideman My team and I have worked with Kristin for years on the financing side of things. As a Mortgage Banker, sometimes creativity is required to make a transaction work. Kristin is always willing to go the extra mile to help her buyers implement creative solutions. In many cases, this is the difference between a buyer obtaining loan approval or not - We greatly appreciate Kristin's ability to 'think outside the box' and highly recommend Kristin as your buyer and/or listing agent. Todd W. Johnson – Lender (Change Mortgage) Kristin is an exceptional professional. I’ve known her for over 30 years and her integrity, honor and trustworthiness are unmatched. She will always look out for her clients and put their interests first. Derick Mitchell

I have had the pleasure of working with Kristin over the years. I

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am a escrow officer and I find it very important that the real estate agents have excellent communication and stay on top of their transactions. Kristin exceeds this expectation and does an amazing job for her clients. If I have questions she is always available to get them answered. You are in great hands with Kristin. Rochelle N – Title Rep (Ticor Title) She was very helpful and knowledgeable. Helped my in-laws prepare for the sale of their home. Took time out of her day to assist an elderly couple. Scott Park I’ve known Kristin for a very long time! She’s still the same; very determined, fun, person who pays close attention to detail. As a Real Estate professional myself, I know that these things are very important in this business. Kristin is a true professional! Ardella Powell Kristin is a very smart and hard-working agent. She will tell you the truth not always what you want to hear but what you need to hear, so you can make a good and informed decision, that is needed for your own needs. Roger Clements Kristin offers such a wonderful experience for her clients! Whether you are buying or thinking about buying, contact Kirstin for excellent and accurate professional advice. She won’t fail you!! LaJewel Lewis My experience with Kristen was fantastic. She was very professional & responsive. Very knowledgeable with any questions presented to her. Will refer her services to anyone looking for her expertise... Delbert Newton

I am looking at moving back to Oregon & saw Kristin Garnett’s Realtor page I was very impressed. I spoke w/ Kristin & have since met with her to view multiple properties in the Portland area over the past year and am sticking with her as my agent. I spoke to many other agents prior to us connecting & what won me over was her warm friendly no pressure approach. She understands my needs & has made it a point to keep in touch w/ me as to what’s happening in the Portland market without any pressure. I will absolutely recommend her to anyone looking to buy or sell their home. Pearl Johnson Kristin is the go-to agent in Oregon & Washington. She is very knowledgeable, sweet and hard working. She always puts her client's needs and concerns first. She is definitely the Agent you want by your side through the home buying/selling process. Call Working with Kristin was great. She was friendly and responsive throughout the home search and buying process. We had a particular schedule and needs, and she worked with us to ensure that we could see as many homes as needed to find just the right one. I really appreciated how prepared she was when we set off looking at homes. We didn't have endless time to look at homes, so her preparation and scheduling/mapping efforts were crucial. I'd happily recommend Kristin to my friends and family, so its easy to do the same here. Good luck housing hunting/selling! Jay Harris Kristin is great! She gives great advice, answers questions right away, and always helps any way she can. Tracy Seo – Realty One Kristin today! Lisa Chapman

Kristin Garnett is an excellent example of a real estate agent. She

is knowledgeable, and patient, and takes great care in making sure the seller and thebuyer have satisfaction as it relates to a real estate transaction. If you're looking for a professional real estate agent she is tremendous. J.W. Matt Hennessee Kristin is excellent to work with! Her industry knowledge, expertise, and professionalism is top-tier. Sharon Henessee Kristin is a great realtor! She is extremely helpful and patient, which really helps to make the process of buying a home easier. She also knows a lot about all of the local areas and is a great source of knowledge. I really could not recommend her enough! She will definitely do everything possible to make sure you find your perfect home! Sam R Great working with Kristin! Very professional from start to finish and easy to communicate with. Hope to do business together again. It was a pleasure!! Cheryl Johnson Kristin is a great agent and a true professional. Our deal was smooth and easy. Her steady, guiding hand helped ensure that everyone was happy and satisfied at the end of the transaction. Cody Williams – Rose City Realty I really don’t even know where to begin. Kristin is such an amazing lady! She is very open and very honest filled with knowledge and answered all of our questions we could call her anytime. She was right on with everything. She was not just our realtor she became our friend! Did everything to move our house and did an amazing job through the whole process of the sale. Thank you so much Kristin I could go on and on and on! Trust this Lady!!

Sandee Gardner

Kristin was Unbelievably responsive 7 days a week; provided assistance and clarification throughout the process of both buying and selling. Hard to imagine a better experience. David Edwards-Schofield Kristin was a super helpful and resourceful realtor. She helped us with both buying and selling. We got great prices for both. Emily Edwards-Schofield Kristin was nothing short of a miracle worker. I sent her my friend Laura as a referral. Kristin helped her list and sell and locate a new home quickly. Even with a crazy market, Kristin was able to find my friend a home she loves. Thank you Kristin for being the best! Troy Elston – West USA Realty I worked with Kristin for over 7 years. She’s like my best friend and sister. She has a great work ethic, loyalty, and honesty. Anybody would be very lucky to knowand work with her. Vicki Nguyen – Summa Realty Kristin Garnet handled both the sell of our home and our new purchase. She went above and beyond what most realtors would do. Made both seamless andmade sure any issues were addressed. Best realtor we ever had!!! Paul Klinetobe "I would love to work with Kristin again. She was professional, polite and responded quickly. A real PRO!" Rachel Sheller – Oregon First Realty In a challenging market Kristin was able to make the impossible, possible. Her expert negotiation and attentiveness made our offer work against the stream of competing offers. We are so

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grateful to her for our new home. Aaron W.

Working with Kristin was very easy. She is very professional and has great knowledge of the real estate industry. With her help and persistence, we were able to acquire the home of our dreams. Biff Wellendorf Kristin was an absolute pleasure to work with on a recent real estate transaction where she represented a buyer for one of my listings. Her great communication and attention to detail made her one of the best agents I have ever worked with. Even with a unique transaction, we were able to make it a win-win for both parties. Looking forward to working with you again in the future! Steven Dyer – Keller Williams Realty Kristin is fantastic to work with! I referred a client to her for help with a home sale and she was great to work with. She is very professional, very good at communicating and easy to work with. I would recommend her highly to anyone looking to buy or sell their home. She is top class! Ellen Sanford – Haven Real Estate Group Kristin is a wonderful lady and realtor. You are in excellent hands with her as your home buying/selling guide! Julie Ottaway – Lender (Academy Mortgage) Kristin’s caring and giving attitude, along with her knowledge of the real estate market are second to none. She’s in the trenches with her buyers and sellers at all times. One of my favorite people to have had the pleasure to work with. Give Kristin a call

today. You’ll be happy you connected with her. JD Campbell – Lender (Change Mortgage)

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Kristin is amazing to work with! Very knowledgeable, professional and personable. I love working with her. Cindy K – Lender (Newland Mortgage)

Kristin is a real professional. She is thorough and gets work done in a timely fashion. Honesty and integrity define Kristin's work ethic, and anyone who works with her is in for a real treat. Kristin is the Realtor I want to help me with all my Real Estate needs. Sue Pantages – Summa Realty Kristin is professional, and very knowledgeable about the area! Love her commitment to finding what will work best for your family! Loved our experience :) Kasey McAllister Kristin is very sweet and helpful and went out of her way to get us our lovely home. We recommend her to anyone in the market. She goes above and beyond! Kira S Kristin marketing skills are beyond amazing! Her ability to spread her marketing through different channels to reach every Kristin is the best agent I have ever worked with! she is so patient and attentive, and always available and timely. I am pretty picky and have a lot of requests and she did such a great job bearing with me and took her time to find me a property that suited all my needs. I highly suggest working with her, you will not be disappointed. Mahdy Atwi Kristin is amazing I have had the pleasure working with her for a couple years now and everything has been awesome please market is great. Chris Lisignoli

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know I am in the hvac trade and not many realtors are as amazing as her thanks a ton for being you!!!!!! Kevin Pierce Kristin is an upstanding/honest agent. I have worked with her in the past. Kristin truly listens to your needs and makes one of our biggest investments in life stress free. I refer all of my friends to her. J.P. I highly recommend Kristin!!! I've had a few deals with Kristin and she has always been knowledgeable, proactive, and great at breaking things down into a matter that is easy to understand for me which helps because there can be some high stress moments. She's accessible and doesn't beat around the bush. These qualities are what you need when you are looking for a Realtor to represent you. Joshua Kim – formerly with Summa Realty I can’t speak highly enough of Kristin Garnett @ Summa Real Estate. Her professionalism, knowledge, honesty, integrity and hard work ethics are very much appreciated and respected. She is detail oriented, honest, good with us and has a knack for matching the perfect home for me and my fiancé. Go see her, you'll be glad you did! Sue Erland-Wellendorf – Summa Realty Kristin did a great job; We had very difficult buyers and she fielded a bunch of questions and issues for us. We would recommend her to anyone! And she makes great Cookies! Kimberly Sutherland Kristin Garnett of Summa Real Estate Group was my choice to help me sell my house and also find another one. My anxiety about trying to find a ranch style home, in my price range, was more than I could handle, but from the moment I met Kristin,

she assured me we would find the perfect home. She helped me with many things including people to help me pack, clean and fix things I needed done in the house. She also recommended a mortgage company Change Mortgage to help me get the financing process started. I give both of them the most excellent reference I could give anyone. Both companies were easy to work with and very attentive to me and my needs. Kristen went beyond the call of duty for me and was always a phone call away. She was also available at any time to show me houses I was interested in. I highly recommend her to help find the house of your dreams. She helped me find mine. Laura Miller Kristin Garnett truly considered our feelings when it came to selling our home. We talked to her not just one time but three times in a 5 year time period. She did not give up on us. No pressure to make a decision; the third time around we were ready to go. Kristin is very professional and her knowledge to guide us in the right direction created a trust and belief she was Buying and finding a house in a buyers market was not an easy task.. Kristin was very professional as well as personal…our stresses were high as we had manycriteria that needed to be met for our home. Kristin is not only a fantastic realtor, she is an excellent support system. ANYTIME there was a house we wanted to see Kristin moved fast as houses were flying off the market. She negotiated and helped us to obtain the house of our dreams, working hard to make sure things like repairs were fair. Kristin is amazing and I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to purchase a home, you won’t regret it. Bryan Goble the one to sell our home. Rodney & Sheila Schuller Kristin was great to work with. She was always responsive to our queries and on top of all the steps in the home buying process.

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As first time home buyers we did not feel lost at any point- thanks to her. Shachi Agarwalla We had a very good experience buying and selling with Kristin Garnett. She has excellent relationships with a wide network of professionals from home inspectors to contractors to stagers to fellow agents at many other firms. We were delighted with our house going pending so quickly after being placed on the market, the smoothness of all our transactions with Kristin, and how willing she was to help; she even adjusted a cabinet door that we hadn't been able to get to close quite right before the listing went live. She was also great about wearing a mask whenever we met and her team adhered to COVID-19 protocols in running open houses and showings, which we really appreciated. E.R. Kristin went above and beyond from the beginning always responded to text calls emails had answers to all our questions and if Kristin didn’t have the answers she… would find out. Kristin made this journey seamless and although at times for me the buyer it became bumpy she reassured me that it was a part of the process and she let me know not to stress out. Kristin has great energy a great smile and I would recommend her to absolutely anybody. When we purchased our next home Kristin will be our realtor again I give her an A+ all the way around. Thank you so much Kristin for your time hard work and effort! Ewalk22 Kristin is an amazing realtor! As a professional, she listened to our needs and desires, and helped us navigate through the home buying process. Our journey… to purchasing was over a year, and she walked every step with us, from beginning to end. We highly recommend her services! Chanesa Hart

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We were renters all this time, up until the time our neighbors in the wonderful cul-de-sac we live in approached us and said "want to buy our house"? Being a potential first-time home buyer I had no clue what to do and so called our best friend and he recommended hiring someone to represent us in the private sell... the house was not listed. I cannot say enough good things about Kristin and her ability to be our advocate, our voice and our negotiator in the home buying process, especially when it came to dealing with the neighbors who had certain demands because the house wasn't listed. Long story short, it was a great experience and I will only use Kristin moving forward, as we do have plans to move and sell in about 5 to 6 years. Kristin does indeed deserve 5 stars across the board on all those areas, thats Kristin was AMAZING! My husband and I were first time homebuyers, she was very patient with us, explaining everything as we went through the process. She was also able to give us great reference for a mortgage company, recommended a great place where we could get appliances and even brought us a beautiful gift on the day we closed. I would recommend her to anyone looking to buy a house. Krystal DeMartino the honest truth! Corey Chambliss Kristin is a very knowledgeable and supportive agent. She worked quickly and efficiently to Support us in buying our forever home. She is knowledgeable and very detailed in the process. I would recommend her to anyone looking to buying a home! Andrea Waltrip-Norberg We recently bought a house in Portland with Kristin's help. We were in a rush, on a tight budget, and searching in the middle of a pandemic - but that didn't stop Kristin! She helped us find and

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close on our dream home quickly and smoothly. Kristin is on top of her game. She responds quickly to messages and is excellent at communicating with listing agents. She learned what we wanted early on in the process and didn't try to sell us on houses that weren't right for us. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Kristin to anyone looking to buy/sell a home in the Portland area. Thanks, Kristin!! Ryan Viles Thank you so much for helping us find our first home! Kristin was always quick to reply and thorough in everything that she did. We really appreciated how dedicated she was to helping us throughout the entire process. Thanks again!!! Alexandra Marin Kristin, is the best, I was afraid that I might have got on her nerves bugging her so much, but she stuck with me the whole time. After several attempts of putting in an offer on homes and then getting beat out by higher offers, she got me and my kids into our dream home. Being a first-time home buyer can be very difficult but Kristin made it easy and fast. If you need to buy a home Kristin Is your go to girl, she is wonderful, patient, kind but wants what’s best for you, and she will find what you are looking for. Thank you Kristin Bianca Morelos Kristin is not just an amazing realtor. She is an amazing person who will always go above and beyond for others. I've known her for many many years and can say without a doubt that she will take the time to listen to you and what you want and she'll be off and running!! So, if you want a agent that will go the extra mile to sell your home or find you your dream home. SHE's YOUR GIRL Kali Brase

Even 3 years post-closing, Kristin still stays in contact with me

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to see how I'm doing. Truly the best and most personal I have ever worked with. Her extra-curricular activities at the schools and nonprofits support the amount of respect I have for her. Be well until our next listing. John Harvey Kristin was amazing and very Professional, she had so much patience and time and experience and knowledge it was amazing. Couldn’t have done it without her! Laura Moore Kristin will never lead you to anything other than what is the very best for you and your family. She will never pressure you or try to talk you into any purchase that you are not 100% confident in. She is genuine, patient, and very encouraging. She is the person you want guiding you through your home buying or selling experience! Marshall Day Kristin is very patient and NEVER pushy! She has guided us through our house hunting process with encouragement and unwavering patience! We have never felt even the least bit of pressure from her! She wants us to be 100% confident before making our purchase! I highly recommend her and her expertise! Mrs Sinistropheles From before my clients saw the listing to after the closing, Kristin was great at communicating! She was always so responsive and great to work with. It felt that we were truly working with each other to help each of our clients, rather than against. It was my pleasure working with you! Cheyanne Renne- Edwards Realty Trust Corporation The home buying experience with Kristin was very easy and surprisingly fast. She listed the house we we’re selling and it sold

in a matter of days. Then she got us into a new home that we simply love! We couldn't be happier. pencilartist51 She was very clear and answered all of our questions. She was easy to work with and reaching her was never an issue. She had a lot of helpful materials and the open houses were well executed. Alissa polley Bring in the closer. She got the job done. She knows her stuff. Lonard Cox Kristin helped us find our dream home. She never rushed the process. It took us several months to find the right house and Kristen was patient. She gave great advice and is very knowledgeable. I highly recommend her to help you find your perfect home. Thank you Kristin. John Spurr Kristin did a great job helping me sell my home and buy another. She was very generous with her time in staging, showing and all of the follow up required once it sold. She was Johnny on the spot through the entire process. Betty Blais

Kristin was very helpful and great to work with. Alison & Anthony Stanko

I can't say enough good things about Kristin! She is wonderful, kind, patient and with her we really felt like we had an advocate that had our best interests at heart. Kristin stuck with us in a seller's market to help us find our first home. Even though we had a strong conventional loan we were still up against all cash offers at times, but she stayed level-headed and made sure we didn't buy a house for more than it would appraise for. We ended up getting a house in the school district of our dreams for

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our son and growing family. Jon & Frances Pimentel

Kristin rocked it. She is a go-getter and marketed our property like it was her own. She always kept us informed, was very responsive to all our requests and questions, and handled all of the details w/the buyers' agents and vendors. If she didn't know the answer to a question she would find it. We had an unexpected sewer issue reported by an inspector and Kristin went above and beyond to get validation from the county - they confirmed no issue and the sale was able proceed on time. She is our hero. Would highly recommend her and will be working with her again. Trina Brown (Bethany Ventures, Inc) Kristin is absolutely amazing. I was looking for a rural secondary home last year. I didn’t know exactly WHAT I wanted, I just knew what I DIDN’T want. She was careful to really listen, ask the right questions, and narrow the search in the parameters needed for the right property. She spent the entire day with me sunrise to sunset going from several different beach towns showing me different places that fit in the parameters we had set. She also met me in Rainer of all places on another day for a lead on a great deal. The thing that impressed me the most was that there was absolutely NO pressure. Her goal was be a conduit to find the right place and the right fit, not push a sale on me regardless. I had a resistance using a realtor because I didn’t want to be talked into buying something or fearing they would be upset for time spent without a sale if I didn’t find the right one. At one point she said, “You need to feel good about the purchase. If not you should question if it’s the right one.” Wow! She totally nailed it for me. Another thing that really impressed me was every house we viewed and entered, she was very careful and respectful of the property and the owner and took great care to follow any instructions, take shoes off when there was carpet, etc. Unbeknownst to her I took

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mental note that when selling my property, I would trust her as the selling agent as well. Fabulous energy, determined work ethic, sharp mind, and honest integrity. I can’t say enough positive things about my experience in working with her!” Dondi Kathman Kristin Garnett is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a home, she is truly a professional and very diligent in all business ventures, she is reliable, and you can trust that she will be there to help assist you in finding your perfect home. Lisa Holt Kristin was amazing. We were interested in buying a property in Portland for our 2nd home investment. With Portland housing market on the rise, she was able to guide us with her deep knowledge and understanding and while provided us with great advice. She is responsive, a go-getter and always ready to go an extra mile. She always took the time to explain every step of the process. We really enjoyed working with her. We would recommend Kristin to anyone that is currently looking to purchase a home. Jay Ting & Cassandra Lu Kristin Garnett I would like to thank you very much for getting my house sold. You have been so understanding of my circumstances and taken all of my concerns seriously. You were always fair and up front with me. You we're able to get the absolute best price removed all of the obstacles that came up. I highly recommend Kristen to anyone looking to sell their home and wants to work with someone they can trust to always have your best interest in mind. Kay Schultz We love working with Kristin. She is friendly, professional, and insightful. Thank you, Kristin! David & Kellie Kent

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Kristin is one of the best Realtors in town! I have thoroughly enjoyed working with her on many ventures and plan to use her exclusively with my future investments. She has many contacts all over the Portland area and has always found exactly what has been searched for. You would think that she had been in the industry for decades, as her passion and love of people makes her extremely effective. Lynda Greene I was lucky to have Kristin serve as my realtor earlier this year when we sold my home in Troutdale. I travel a lot for my job so communication and managing schedules was not an easy task. She was so easy to work with and handled everything form beginning to end! The open house she held was well advertised, attended and yielded multiple very nice offers! She made closing a breeze guided me through the whole process. I would highly recommend her service to anyone looking at buying or selling a new home! Thank you so much for all of your hard work Kristin and once again, GREAT JOB!!! Mike Schultz Kristin was great, was patient with us, helped us find the perfect house in our price range, and helped find a no-hassle lender. She was helpful through all steps of the process and made sure our contingencies were met and really went to bat for us to ensure that we got a fair deal on our home purchase, working with the seller's agent and communicating our needs very well. She made herself available for all our needs, always responded to phone calls or text messages, even on weekends. Overall a great experience. She really made the whole process very easy for us. Justin & Karen Dow This is for all of my friends and family: My friend Kristin Garnett is a realtor so if anyone is looking for a house she’s the one to call!

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Tyrone Hayes

I worked with Kristin at Summa Real Estate Group. She cares so much about her clients and a great person! Hard worker, honest!!! I'd work with her any day. Janae Allen

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CHAPTER 1 Why Should You Read This Book? ead This Book? Ever wonder why one house sells quickly, while a similar house doesn’t? Why does one house sell for $188,000, while another house that’s identical in every way brings in $202,000? It just doesn’t seem to make any sense. The truth is, similar homes sell for varying prices all the time. It takes place all over the country. It happens in markets large and small. Surely, there must be some reason! These houses do not sell for more money by accident. No magic trick helped one seller get a better deal than the other. On the contrary, higher prices and quicker sales are the direct result of careful planning. Sellers can command higher prices for their homes if they use the right techniques. A few simple strategies, known only to the best sellers and the best agents, can make a huge impact on the success of your sale. The following chapters break down those secrets. See how each strategy translates into real-life examples. Houses brought to market with these tactics consistently sell quickly, and for more money — even if they failed to sell the first time around. Gather the information you need to apply the same formula to selling your home. When you sell, you’ll be able to take advantage of these techniques. Carefully follow the same formula to sell your home.

Thanks for taking time to look through this book. I sincerely hope it will help you make more money on the sale of your home. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’d be glad to help.

CHAPTER 2 Does Listing Price Matter? Are you sick of being told the reason your home didn’t sell was because it was “overpriced?” Most people think a home that didn’t sell was probably priced too high. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reason homes don’t sell is not necessarily because of the price. It’s usually because the home was not marketed properly. It isn’t easy to sell something for full market value. After all, buyers are always looking for a deal, and shoppers now have more information at their fingertips than ever. You might need to negotiate the price with a buyer, but good marketing will help bring you a full-price offer!

Here’s a perfect example:

John was trying to sell his house. He put it on the market for $499,900. He hired an agent to help him sell it. The agent worked at a reputable firm and made a good effort to sell John’s house. • The pictures of the house were top-notch quality. • The marketing of the house was first class. The home was advertised extensively online, in the newspaper, and other marketing avenues. • The agent held an open house.

Yet, the agent’s efforts failed to attract a buyer. John’s agent suggested he adjust the price. After all, most of the similar homes in the area were priced around $400,000 to $450,000. The agent recommended dropping the price to $450,000. But John owned one of the nicest homes in the area, and his home had many features the other homes didn’t have. John knew this. He was reluctant to reduce the price. John hired another agent, who also failed to sell the home and also offered the same “advice:” Reduce the price.

At this point, John had two options:

• Option #1: n #1:Drop the price. Most of the agents he talked to told him his home was not worth what he wanted. They told him he should just “be reasonable” and drop the price to $450,000. • Option #2: n #2:Hire an agent who could sell the home for what it was actually worth. This agent’s marketing would need to get a buyer so excited about the home that they would be willing to pay full price. Fortunately for John, he picked Option #2. He contacted an agent who specialized in selling homes other agents could not sell. This agent worked at the top real estate company in his area and had a bunch of accolades. He took a closer look at the home and launched his own specialized marketing plan. • New pictures were better than the first agent’s pictures. • The marketing was better. There was even more advertising than before. • The agent didn’t just do a regular open house. He also did

a broker’s open house and invited other agents to view the home. The agent looked at John's house and could clearly see it was worth the price. The agent put the home on the market for the same price, as the previous agents did. Only this time, something different happened. Sixty-three days later, the home sold for $480,000. The other agents were stunned. After all, they had told John his home was worth no more than $450,000. And, since most homes sell for slightly less than their asking price, an asking price of $450,000 would have most likely resulted in a final sales price of $430,000 to $440,000. Yet, the new agent had sold the home for more. It had taken only two months to capture a buyer’s attention. The unsuccessful agents were shocked (and a little bit embarrassed)! What had they missed? Why did the first two agents fail to sell the home, while the third agent sold it with ease? It’s because the new agent used a marketing strategy most agents don’t use. The details on this marketing strategy are explained within the following chapters. But first, we must be clear on one very fundamental point. Many people believe a house sells for exactly what it’s “worth.” That simply isn’t true. The price of a house is merely the final amount agreed upon by the buyer and seller. Many circumstances affect the final sale price.

Houses do NOT always sell for what they are “worth.”

• Sometimes they sell for more. • Sometimes they sell for less.

While that statement may seem like a no-brainer, it’s imperative you understand this. Strip away misconceptions, such as the idea that “worth” determines the sale price of a house. Now you are free to examine the real factors at work. Identify those factors, and you can leverage them in your favor. Take Cheryl and Richard, for example. They owned townhouses, only five doors apart. Both put their homes on the market at the same time. The builder had used the same floor plan for all the townhouses in their neighborhood. Both had the same layout. At first glance, each townhouse seemed to hold the same basic appeal for a buyer. You might think they were “worth” the same amount. Nope. Cheryl and Richard sold their homes within one month of each other. These townhouses seemed identical, but there was a $14,000 difference in sale price!

• Cheryl sold her home for $202,000. • Richard sold his for only $188,000.

Why the large gap in price? In a later chapter, you’ll see exactly what Cheryl did to make more money on her home. For now, just know that you simply can’t afford to guess the “worth” of a home!

POINTS TO REMEMB O REMEMBER:

• Homes that don’t sell easily aren’t always overpriced.

Houses don’t always sell for what they are “worth.” • The selling price of a home is merely the final amount agreed upon by the buyer and seller. • The most skilled agent use special techniques that can help sell homes faster and for more money.

CHAPTER 3 What to Avoid

Here’s another example of a stupid mistake that caused a seller to lose about $50,000 — yes, that’s $50,000 — on their home sale. An alert buyer was able to snatch up a $280,000 property for only $230,000. It was being sold by an out-of-town owner. The agent the seller hired was not familiar with the area and suggested the low price. The agent did not bother to put a sign on the property, and hardly anyone knew it was for sale. Two buyers both wanted to buy this property. One buyer really wanted it because it was right next to his house. He would have a bigger yard with more room for his kids to play. The other buyer lived in the area and wanted a larger yard. He wanted to buy this property and build a house on it. The first buyer bought the property before the second buyer even knew it was for sale. As soon as the first buyer found out it was for sale, he made an offer immediately. The seller accepted the offer, and the property sold soon thereafter. This buyer would have gladly paid full market value for the property. But he didn’t need to, because the seller accepted the offer he made. The second buyer never found out the property was for sale until it had been sold. Even worse, the seller never realized the mistake. 9

Bottom line: The seller lost $50,000 because of his agent’s incompetence. While stories like this don’t happen every day, they happen more often than you’d think. It’s a very real risk you take when you hire an agent who doesn’t have a proven marketing plan. Had a sign simply been on the property, it definitely would have attracted more interest and possibly even started a bidding war, driving up the price. At $50,000 below market price, the listing would have been bid and counter-bid several times, possibly even up to fair market value.

Here’s a similar story.

In this case, a seller hired an agent whose incompetence cost her $25,000. Her agent completely flubbed a “perfect offer.” The buyer submitted an offer at full price for her home, no strings attached. Her agent dropped the ball and let a little problem—one that would’ve been easy to resolve—ruin a perfectly good sale! The house sat on the market for another year and ended up selling for $15,000 less than the original full-price offer. Even worse, the seller wound up having to make another 15 house payments, while her home sat on the market and she wasn’t living in it. Ongoing house (mortgage) payments are a frequently overlooked cost of not finding a buyer quickly. Please don’t become another one of these stories! Take time to know the true value of your home. Do your homework, and prepare for the sale before putting your home on the market. The

good news is that by reading this book, you’re ahead of the game!

CHAPTER 4 Why It's So Easy to Sell Your Home our Home for Less Than It's Worth At a certain point, many home sellers feel like throwing in the towel. “I’m just going to drop the price and get rid of this house,” they think to themselves.

Fortunately, reason (usually) prevails.

A lot of people become tempted to “throw in the towel.” It even happens to highly intelligent people. Here’s an example: In 1997, entrepreneurs Larry Page and Sergey Brin were looking for a buyer for their Internet search engine. They called it BackRub. The two were seeking $1.6 million for the new online portal and were working a deal with Excite, a popular search engine at the time. The problem for Excite was that BackRub was far too effective a search engine. Users were finding what they wanted and moving off the site too quickly, which would be bad for Excite’s advertising business. Page and Brin cut the price dramatically, by more than 50 percent. They offered to sell BackRub for $750,000. (Yep, even geniuses cut their price.) Excite considered the offer, but ultimately balked. There was no deal. BackRub’s co-founders decided to commercialize and 13

release the product themselves. First, they renamed it.

They called it Google.

A little over 20 years later, Google is now worth roughly $360 billion. Excite was eventually sold to Ask.com. Bottom line: Fight the temptation to drop your price. Just because something isn’t selling does not necessarily mean it isn’t worth the price you’re asking. That clearly was true for Google, and it’s probably true for your home, as well. While the buyer of your dreams hasn’t yet emerged, it certainly doesn’t mean they won’t. Selling a home for top dollar fast is actually pretty simple. You just have to find the one person who’s willing to pay more for your home than anyone else. If they want it more than anyone else, then they will be willing to pay a higher price than anyone else.

POINTS TO REMEMB O REMEMBER

• Many sellers get frustrated and reduce their price prematurely. • If your house isn’t selling, it means you haven’t found the right buyer yet—the buyer who wants your home enough to pay top dollar.

CHAPTER 5 What Stops Perfect Homes from Selling om Selling

Have you ever wondered why no one bought your house? I’ll explain the likely reasons in further detail as this book goes on. Have you ever heard the saying, “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door?” Even though the saying might appear to be correct—at least on the surface—it’s false. More than 4,400 people have invented what they thought was a “better” mousetrap. At least, that’s how many patents have been filed with the U.S. Patent Office. But despite all the new mousetrap inventions, the classic mousetrap, first patented in 1894, is still the best-selling design. I’m sure each of those inventors is frustrated. “Why won’t anyone buy my mousetrap? It’s genius!” they say to themselves. I’m sure you can relate to their frustration. Have you ever thought the following? “Why won’t anyone buy my house? It’s a great house!” Fortunately, there’s an answer to this question. “One cannot throw a great product out on the street and expect people to gobble it up.” This rule applies to inventions, homes, and even movies. Yes, even great movies need to be sold! Here’s an example of a great movie that didn’t do well when it was first released.

On September 23, 1994, the movie The Shawshank Redemption was released to the world. Adapted from a short story by legendary author Stephen King, the feature film centered on a pair of imprisoned men. Over 20 years later, The Shawshank Redemption is now considered one of the greatest movies of all time. In fact, it’s ranked as the best movie in cinematic history on well-known and respected website Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), ahead of the likes of The Godfather; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; and Schindler’s List. Another movie came out that year. The Flintstones , a live-action remake of the 1960s cartoon show, starred John Goodman, Rick Moranis, and Rosie O’Donnell. The Flintstones , perhaps needless to say, was not nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. “It falls flatter than a granite slab,” noted a national film critic. Though the film was praised for its costume and set design, it also won “Razzie Award” for Worst Female Performance and Worst Screenplay, and was a nominee for Worst Movie of 1994. Its IMDb.com user reviews are roughly half of what The Shawshank Redemption receives, and it’s rated by users as one of the worst movies of the 1990s. A team of salespeople masterfully marketed The Flintstones to its targeted demographics. The result? The film grossed $131 million in the U.S. and $358 million worldwide. That’s the power of targeted marketing. On the flip side, the people at Universal Studios who promoted The Shawshank Redemption admitted they couldn’t figure out

how to sell the movie to the public. They had a great product; they just didn’t know how to sell it. It grossed only $28 million in the U.S. box office and $60 million worldwide. It ranked 51st in box office success in 1994—two spots behind In the Army Now, starring Pauly Shore. Look at those numbers, then look at them again. Still don’t believe good marketing and salesmanship matter? The folks at Universal learned their lesson—even the best products need to be “sold.” Is your home a great product that wasn’t marketed properly? As we discussed earlier in this book, selling a home for top dollar fast is actually pretty simple. You just have to find the one person who’s willing to pay more for your home than anyone else. If they want it more than anyone else, then they will be willing to pay a higher price than anyone else.

POINTS TO REMEMB O REMEMBER:

• Having a great product—or house—isn’t enough. • Whether you’re selling films or houses, you can’t beat the power of targeted marketing.

CHAPTER 6 How to Sell a Home That Didn't Sell — Without 't Sell — Without Dropping the Price It is entirely possible to sell your home without dropping the price. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. The standard approach is all wrong . It’s based on the faulty premise that if you tell enough people about your house, someone will buy it . While having more people look at a home does increase the odds of it selling, this doesn’t actually sell the home. The bottom line is that not everyone wants to buy your home. Yes, they’d love to buy it for a bargain basement price. Even if they hated it, they’d still buy it for half price—only to turn around and sell it for a quick profit. The key to getting top dollar is finding that buyer who wants your home badly enough to pay full price. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you’ll find a buyer who’s willing to pay more than full price. Yes, that does happen. The problem is, most people are so focused on telling everyone about a home for sale that they forget about the most important thing.

You have to find that one special buyer . The question is, how do

you find the perfect buyer?

First, you need to understand a universal rule we are about to discuss and the role it plays in bringing in those ideal buyers.

POINTS TO REMEMB O REMEMBER:

• The standard selling approach is based on the faulty premise that if you tell enough people about your house, someone will buy it. • In truth, you must find the one buyer who wants your home so badly, he or she is willing to pay full price.

CHAPTER 7 Avoid This Rule at Your Own Risk

The key to the successful home-selling approach is based on a revolutionary concept discovered by an Italian economist. His name was Vilfredo Pareto. The most important thing we can learn from him is the Pareto Principle, better known as the 80/20 rule.

The 80/20 rule applies to all aspects of life.

In 1906, Vilfredo found an intriguing correlation. He noticed that 20 percent of the pea pods in his garden held 80 percent of the seeds. Studying the seeds prompted him to take a closer look at this ratio. In one of his initial discoveries, he discovered that 80 percent of the land in his area was owned by 20 percent of the people. After detailed study, he observed this ratio held true in many aspects of life. The Pareto principle—or the 80/20 rule—is a result of his findings.

The 20 percent is vital, and the 80 percent is trivial.

For example:

• 80 percent of your income is derived from 20 percent of your work.

• 80 percent of a business’ income is derived from 20 percent of their customers. • 80 percent of your value to an employer is derived from 20 percent of your work. You might wonder what all of this means. In a nutshell, approximately 20 percent of what you do matters. The other 80 percent is insignificant. It’s important to understand that this isn’t always split at exactly 80/20. It can be 70/30 or another percentage. The key is that the two numbers are not equal, and they are usually close to 80/20. How can you apply the 80/20 principle to selling your home? Understanding this concept can save you time in selling your home. Unfortunately, many sellers buy into the false idea that more is more. They completely ignore the Pareto Principle. Now that you know what the 80/20 rule is, you’re probably wondering how it applies to selling your home. When you use the 80/20 p e 80/20 principle in selling, you stop trying to sell people on the entire home. Based on the rule, only 20 percent of your home’s features are important. The remaining 80 percent are less improtant. That’s because they are the same features many other homes in your neighborhood have. Instead of focusing on those trivial features, you need to focus on the vital features. When you sell your home, focus on unique features to grab the attention of buyers. These features make your home different from other homes. These features will make it easier to sell your home for the full asking price.

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