— We take our content seriously. This article was written by a real person at BREL.
In real estate as in life; don’t judge a book by its cover.
Usually, in real estate, what you see is what you get. But sometimes the house you see from the street is not as it appears. Getting people to look past their first impression to see what you see on the inside is no easy feat.
Thanks to Lisa and the rest of the BREL team, many potential Buyers opened the door to possibility and fell head over heels in the process.
Here’s Lisa’s story:
Lisa describes this sale as the perfect example of not judging a book by its cover. “Looking straight on, the house seemed quite small. But once you went inside, it was a whole different story. The home was very spacious with an open concept main floor with an addition on the back. The incredible kitchen was literally the centre of the home, and the backyard was made for entertaining.” The challenge was getting people who were looking at the little photos online, or passing the house from the street to put aside what they could see, and convince them to come in and get a feel for the home.
There were several similar properties in this home’s price point that had been sitting on the market. And with the deceptive exterior, Lisa knew the key was getting people through the door. “I knew that anyone who likes to entertain and/or host family gatherings would walk in and fall in love with this house. The kitchen, as mentioned, was literally at the centre of the home, and I could imagine myself cooking there. I knew that would be what sold the home, and it was.”
It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it
This kind of sale takes a little more strategy, and luckily The Sellers were fully on board. From their first meeting, Lisa had a feeling they would work well together. With her background in PR and their backgrounds in sales, digital marketing and project management, it felt like they were on the same page. “The BREL focus on digital marketing resonated with them, and our process gave them peace-of-mind that the details were being considered. This one felt like a real partnership. They put their faith in the BREL process, and it worked to their advantage.”
The plan was simple – give everyone every opportunity to see the home at its very best. But putting it into action was going to take a little work. The Buyers didn’t hesitate to dig in. “The timeline we created was the most helpful for them. We shared our Listing Plan and Staging Consultation, with the key dates for when things needed to be done, and they put their heads down and got it done.”
But it wasn’t easy. Lisa notes, “They had already purchased a property outside Toronto, so there was some urgency to getting on the market. And sold. With a closing date as close as possible to date, they took possession of their new property. With the listing date approaching and a work vortex consuming one seller.”
Lisa reflects on the work the Sellers put in. What asked what made her clients stand out, she replied, “You mean the part where one of the Sellers used a week’s vacation to get the home ready for market? Yup, spent a week of his holidays clearing things out, touching things up and packing things up. These clients put their trust in BREL, followed our recommendations and advice, and put in the effort to get their home show-ready, with a what-ever-it-takes attitude.”
Opening the door on a unique strategy
When the time came to list the home, they did not follow the expected process. They did not hold offers and set a price in line with market value. But they did hold Open Houses – and lots of them. Lisa notes, “we held four open houses — daytime, evening and weekend — to allow people to see it on their schedule.”
She credits the BREL marketing team for their work in the traffic to the house. “The marketing team really sold this property. The staging, photography, marketing copy and materials really helped potential buyers see beyond the front door, which brought people in and put offers on the table.”
When a plan comes together
The instinct to price at market value and give people lots of opportunities to see the property on their own timetable really paid off. Many people came through the four open houses during the first few days on the market — some multiple times. Lisa and the Sellers ended up with three offers on the table the day of the fourth open house — on Father’s day no less.
It can be nervewracking to take one path when others on the market are taking another. But to stand out, you can’t do the same thing as everyone who is lingering on the market – particularly when time is of the essence.
At the end of the day, they met all their goals and then some. What did this mean for Lisa’s clients? Here’s her take. “Well, we ended up with three offers we sold for $50k more than list price, and we had priced it at its market value. That’s money they could put into making the kitchen in their new home everything it was in this home. They were talking about it while we were signing the offer. That made me happy. Not only that, we sold in four days while other houses were still sitting on the market, so they could get on with planning their move.”
When asked how she would sum up this process for those looking for a similar outcome, Lisa offered these words of wisdom: Trust your instincts. Trust the process. Get the reward.
