Michelle Comstock: Sold in 4 Days

The sellers had lived in the home for so long and had accumulated a lot of things as we all do. They were in the market to relocate to Austin and we were trying to figure out navigating them clearing out some clutter, getting a storage unit here, all the while going to Austin to view homes. They miraculously won a multiple offer situation in Austin and worked tirelessly to empty the house and move to Austin. That gave us a clean slate to work with. 

I suggested we stage the home to make the photos POP to buyers on the internet. We have to WOW online buyers in order to get actual showings, especially during a pandemic.  

Besides staging, what updates did you suggest to make the home more marketable?

I recommended we clean up the front yard. There are a lot of trees and many bushes and plants in the yard that needed to be trimmed and made to look cohesive and consistent to visually appeal, once again, on the internet.

How did you decide on your list price, and how did it compare to your competition?

Just like pricing any other home, you have to take past sales, active listings, and position in the neighborhood to come up with the list price.  This neighborhood can be tricky as it’s generally not on people’s radar. I feel like it is stumbled upon, as it was for my husband and I when we bought our first home here.

The home sales in the neighborhood tend to ebb and flow, so we priced it just under the highest price we could’ve gone for and had a ton of traffic.

You got a contract for your seller in 4 days- what did this look like in action? 

We had so many showings in 4 days and ended up in a multiple offer situation! We turned one of the multiple offers into a backup contract for $10k over the list price and the first buyer backed out, so my sellers were very happy with the additional proceeds.

I used to be a big fan of virtual staging. I think it can certainly help when buyers are browsing the internet. However, when the buyer then walks into an empty home – it loses the appeal. 

With so much competition these days, I believe having the furniture and accessories in my listings get them sold fast.

Before & After: Dwelling vs Selling

What do you look for in a staging company?

I look for: 

• practical staging advice, 
• trustworthy people, and 
• design styles–  being able to place the right furniture into a home in order to enhance the features. You don’t want to see traditional furniture in a modern home, or vice versa.

 If you want your home to sell fast and for the highest amount, you should invest in the preparations up front.  As the saying goes: “You have to spend money to make money.”  When you watch home improvement shows, or look through Houzz, or magazines etc – the goal should be to make your rooms look picture perfect with the help of a stager! 

One of the many reasons I love my brokerage, Compass RE Texas, LLC, is because we have our Compass Concierge program that will assist with these upfront costs instead of having to come out of pocket! There are certain qualifications of course, and I am happy to discuss these with anyone looking to sell their home!

(713) 504-1400

michelle.comstock@compass.com