I started watching you when I first decided to sell my house. I followed all your suggestions and the most important was to choose the right Realtor. In my case I watched my neighbors go through FIVE different Realtors from “a family friend,” to “Half-Price Realty,” to “the neighborhood realtor.” Their house sat without offers for over two years. Then, a real professional came on board, told them why their house wasn’t selling. Corrections made, marketing done and closed on sale in 7 weeks. I remembered his name and swore to follow his advice, including price. Emptied the house, painted, and under contract in 12 days for $50k more than I had expected. We closed in less than a month from listing - in a flat market! He worked hard and his reputation brought in buyers. Most important player is your Realtor!
I am having gutters and down spouts replaced. This is more for the time I have left. I am adding 2 rain barrels so I can fill the pool when the water evaporates.
I have been watching your channel on TH-cam for about 6 months and following all your advice as we prepared our house to sell. In the first week we put our house on the market we got four offers. Our house was photo ready, clean, staged by us, and all of the walls painted white. We priced our house a little bit above what we thought it would go for, but our realtor assured us that it was a fair price for the current market. The offer we accepted was above our list price. Thank you, thank you, for all of the valuable information that you give for free on your channel here. It helped us so much!!
Audra, I just want to let You know that I just Discovered Your Channel, I think yesterday, and I already learned SO much from just 3 or 4 Videos I watched. Thank You!!!!
If it's a real fixer-upper, skip the staging and throw pillows. Just make sure it's as clean and organized as possible. I have a house I'll sell one day, but with a value of about 60K, I can't afford to fix it up for what the market would pay if it was in better condition. So the market value of your home is another important point to consider if you're going to fix some things.
I've seen houses asking about a million that were completely renovated but the workmanship & materials used were so cheap! The lowest quality granite countertops & tile. All granite is no created equally! Basic builders quality kitchen cabinets, new windows that didn't suit the vintage & so on. Do it better or just let the next owner decide in their own taste is great advice.
Excellent content, as always. Plus, Audra, whoever does your edits, graphics, echo ("Noooo), etc, does a really good job. Such great pacing on your voice and content, all vital no fluff.
"Up in everyone's business". Comedy gold. Thanks for your excellent content! Can you have showings of an empty house if it's very clean and in good condition?
Yes. I just sold my house - closed March 1st, 2024. My home was in good condition but I’m older and my furnishings included a lot of comfy, sentimental stuff - definitely not on trend. My realtor suggested it would show better without furniture, so I accepted his advice. He helped me get the house painted so it really showed like a brand new home. I had a lot of showings right away and the third one was the first to make an offer. We closed the sale in less than a month, even in the slow winter season, for $50k more than I had expected! That easily paid for the paint and minor fix-ups as well as the commission. The most important factor is to hire an honest, experienced Realtor and then follow his/her advice. My Realtor has a reputation for working hard and for not playing games. The other Realtors respect him and we’re happy to bring their qualified buyers to look at the house. That resulted in a great buyer and a quick deal - even though the house was empty - no staging required. I had several buyers tell me they prefer to look at empty houses so they don’t get distracted by the seller’s taste/colors/clutter.
First off...thank you for your comment. Yes, of course you can list a house for sale if its vacant. I just get worried about squatters and/or other's thinking that the seller must be desperate if they all ready moved out of the property. There are pros and cons.
Thanks for your video Audra. You have helped me to avoid so many scam agents. The last one told me an exaggerated price for my property. He said he would work the price down if it didn't sell. He claimed he had "exclusive" clients ready to buy and that it would take no longer than 2 months to sell. He didn't address any of the painting, or declutter, issues. He was a con. I haven't signed with any agents yet. I'm painting, and decluttering, and taking my time.
Audra - I so enjoy watching your videos! I am a long time stager and appreciate your recommendation to STAGE!!! It's truly visual marketing . . . that DRIVES traffic to the property. We create instant emotional connections with potential buyers to help our Realtors and Clients get those uplifted offers and quick sales. Thanks again for helping educate on staging!
Thank you for your information, I’m learning so much because I don’t know anything about real estate and I plan to buy a cheap home in PA and fix it up.
I largely agree with what you said in this video, but how many repairs to complete and things to do depends on the temperature of the market. There very recently was a house on the market very close to the same square footage as our home and just around the corner from our home. Nothing was updated on the inside of the home, but it looked okay in the photos. The outside needed a lot of work. Paint was peeling on the exterior. The AC/Heating unit on the roof was old and rusting. Storage sheds in the backyard were falling apart. Fence pickets were detached from the fence. I imagine the interior of the home needed some work as well. It sold in two weeks after listing for the asking price. I don't know the details of the PA and whether or not they agreed to credits for repairs and to make repairs. Maybe they did. Point is that in a hot market like ours, it isn't necessary to fix everything up. It just depends on whether or not you're in a seller's market. I love your idea of having an home inspection, a pest inspection, and an appraisal done before the home hits the market. That is one of the best ideas I've heard in one of your videos. I want to do this, because when my home hits the market, I want to get the sale done efficiently and as soon as possible.
Just to clarify, in addition to incurring the cost for the marketing, professional photos, and a home inspection, you also pay out of pocket for the stagging and the appraisal. That could be thousands of dollars.
Yes I do...and yes its thousands of dollars. But I get top dollar and repeat business....and sell the properties quicker. That's what my sellers are paying me for! You'd be crazy not to hire me:)
Audra you did say that appraisers are using an antiquated system and came in under 100,000 below one of your properties, can you suggest a way to get the most accurate appraisal?
When we bought this home it was common for houses to be on the market 6-9 months. Yes, it’s rural! Our agent looked with us for 2-3 years! Yes, she sent descriptions and we reviewed before looking at the house physically.. we had a lot of adventures along the way too! She earned her commission for sure. And yes, we drove several times because of distances. Our best adventure was a house that had been a boarding house, I think. The outside brick was showing through the walls and the kitchen was a mess. They also left Ridx in the bathroom too! And don’t get me started on the pidgeons in the attic! “The Birds” anyone? The house was listed I think at $225000. I said at best $100000, she said try $50000! If the location had been better we might have made an offer even though it was believed to be an estate with heirs disagreeing. It indeed was an old building, had a parlor and all the original wainscoting stairs and handrail. I think there were 8-9 rooms, but it was the size to be about 4-5 bedrooms.
@@AudraLambert I wish I remembered, they said it had more land, maybe sold with another parcel. Mom had a friend in San Bernardino that had a similar layout, except it didn’t have the extra door for the parlor. You’d recognize the layout I’m sure!
Audra we just sold a house in San Bernardino at 25000 above listing. Mike Mucino of Caydem reality did everything suggested in your playbook automatically. Your videos were a valuable heads up for me. Thank you. By the way in case you're curious it's 1558 West 20th in San Bernardino.
If you are an experienced realtor you know what the market value is of a home from past sales why would you need an appraisal?Who is paying for the appraisal?
The last place I am going to buy is an "improved" flipper house. Quick Cosmetic changes done quickly - no thanks. Behind all the shiny bling is shoddy cheap work. Never buy a Flipper House.
What is market value? A professional appraisal? The average of three appraisal? If I do staging, it might sell for above market value (sort of your words). So list it higher? Still a little bit confusing.
Hello there, market value is what the "market" thinks your house is worth. Getting an appraiser to give you an evaluation or a trusted realtor is a good place to start. If you are going to hire an appraiser, I would just go with their opinion. After all, that is their profession (assessing home values).....Just. find a good one. If you stage and prep your house properly, you more than likely will get more than market value (especially in an appreciating market). Don't list your house for higher...the market will drive the price up (multiple offers) in an appreciating market. If the market is stabilizing, then the house should go for market value.
What if the realtor you are considering will not tell you what they think the house should be sold at ?There was a long silence and I asked him THREE times (not in a row , biut over the course of months time ) . He would not tell me. Then he contacts me months later . I texted , you never answered my question . "what question " he asked . I just went back into my shell .
Hi Audra - Great video!! On the topic of fixing, replacing or renovating, what are you thoughts on a Home Warranty? As you mentioned, right now is not a good time to spend a lot of money. So for instance, my water heater and HVAC are at about their so-called lifespan (according to the avg. or manuf. lifecycle). Both units are running just fine right now. At this time, I don't really have the money to replace/update these items. Is it worth offering a potential buyer a home warranty? Would offering the home warranty still allow me to sell at market value or would I still need to take their age into consideration? TIA
Hello there! I would have your HVAC systems services by a reputable company deeming the systems in good working order. If you do that, the home warranty will hold up. If the home inspector deems the units not working properly during the home inspection, then the home warranty won't warranty the systems. I think its a great idea to give the buyers a home warranty and a HVAC service deeming them in good working order. I am located in Southern California. In my area...that works. You'd have to consult with your realtor regarding what's customary in your area. Great question.
Im a new agent, doing everything I can to educate myself to offer the best service to sellers. You recommend that sellers hire agents with experience and deals under their belt. What would you recommend to me as a new agent to be a “good seller agent”? Thank you
Hi Audra, Fellow Realtor, and TH-camr here in Greenville SC. Please add me to your referral list. We are also a custom builder in Greenville, SC if you have anyone relocating to the East Coast.
![일상 속 기분 좋음 [Proto disco meme]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DwmEIaZ7XGQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I started watching you when I first decided to sell my house. I followed all your suggestions and the most important was to choose the right Realtor. In my case I watched my neighbors go through FIVE different Realtors from “a family friend,” to “Half-Price Realty,” to “the neighborhood realtor.” Their house sat without offers for over two years. Then, a real professional came on board, told them why their house wasn’t selling. Corrections made, marketing done and closed on sale in 7 weeks. I remembered his name and swore to follow his advice, including price. Emptied the house, painted, and under contract in 12 days for $50k more than I had expected. We closed in less than a month from listing - in a flat market! He worked hard and his reputation brought in buyers. Most important player is your Realtor!
Thank you so much for sharing this experience. People need to hear this. So glad you had a great experience!! Congrats, by the way.
@@AudraLambertI appreciate your valuable wealth of info. Listen to her people!
I am having gutters and down spouts replaced. This is more for the time I have left. I am adding 2 rain barrels so I can fill the pool when the water evaporates.
I bought all of my places October to December.
I have been watching your channel on TH-cam for about 6 months and following all your advice as we prepared our house to sell. In the first week we put our house on the market we got four offers. Our house was photo ready, clean, staged by us, and all of the walls painted white. We priced our house a little bit above what we thought it would go for, but our realtor assured us that it was a fair price for the current market. The offer we accepted was above our list price. Thank you, thank you, for all of the valuable information that you give for free on your channel here. It helped us so much!!
I am cleaning , painting , replacing what is broken , and I will start to sell what I am not taking with me and praying 🙏 I get the most I can
Best of luck! You are doing everything right. You're going to do great!
@@AudraLambert; I love your honesty and straightforward approach of educating your audience, I love it!!! Do you have a Channel for educating Buyers??
Audra, I just want to let You know that I just Discovered Your Channel, I think yesterday, and I already learned SO much from just 3 or 4 Videos I watched. Thank You!!!!
If it's a real fixer-upper, skip the staging and throw pillows. Just make sure it's as clean and organized as possible. I have a house I'll sell one day, but with a value of about 60K, I can't afford to fix it up for what the market would pay if it was in better condition. So the market value of your home is another important point to consider if you're going to fix some things.
Fair enough. Can't argue with that.
I've seen houses asking about a million that were completely renovated but the workmanship & materials used were so cheap! The lowest quality granite countertops & tile. All granite is no created equally! Basic builders quality kitchen cabinets, new windows that didn't suit the vintage & so on. Do it better or just let the next owner decide in their own taste is great advice.
Excellent content, as always. Plus, Audra, whoever does your edits, graphics, echo ("Noooo), etc, does a really good job. Such great pacing on your voice and content, all vital no fluff.
Ahh...thank you so much. I try to get to the point. Appreciate the comment regarding my editor...I'll them know. Your comment made my day:)
"Up in everyone's business". Comedy gold. Thanks for your excellent content! Can you have showings of an empty house if it's very clean and in good condition?
Yes. I just sold my house - closed March 1st, 2024. My home was in good condition but I’m older and my furnishings included a lot of comfy, sentimental stuff - definitely not on trend. My realtor suggested it would show better without furniture, so I accepted his advice. He helped me get the house painted so it really showed like a brand new home. I had a lot of showings right away and the third one was the first to make an offer. We closed the sale in less than a month, even in the slow winter season, for $50k more than I had expected! That easily paid for the paint and minor fix-ups as well as the commission. The most important factor is to hire an honest, experienced Realtor and then follow his/her advice. My Realtor has a reputation for working hard and for not playing games. The other Realtors respect him and we’re happy to bring their qualified buyers to look at the house. That resulted in a great buyer and a quick deal - even though the house was empty - no staging required. I had several buyers tell me they prefer to look at empty houses so they don’t get distracted by the seller’s taste/colors/clutter.
First off...thank you for your comment. Yes, of course you can list a house for sale if its vacant. I just get worried about squatters and/or other's thinking that the seller must be desperate if they all ready moved out of the property. There are pros and cons.
Thanks for your video Audra. You have helped me to avoid so many scam agents. The last one told me an exaggerated price for my property. He said he would work the price down if it didn't sell. He claimed he had "exclusive" clients ready to buy and that it would take no longer than 2 months to sell. He didn't address any of the painting, or declutter, issues. He was a con. I haven't signed with any agents yet. I'm painting, and decluttering, and taking my time.
Audra - I so enjoy watching your videos! I am a long time stager and appreciate your recommendation to STAGE!!! It's truly visual marketing . . . that DRIVES traffic to the property. We create instant emotional connections with potential buyers to help our Realtors and Clients get those uplifted offers and quick sales. Thanks again for helping educate on staging!
Outstanding video!! I’ve saved it for reference time & time again
Another brilliant video!!! 👏👏👏
Thanks Peter! I appreciate it!!
As always the best advice ! You're the perfect realtor for me , just in the wrong country. 🥴☹
Ahh...thanks so much! Really appreciate it!!
I have learned so much from your videos
Thanks Audra
I'm so glad! So Glad I could help!!
Great informative video. Selling a house can be very stressful, but with the right representation it makes it a much smoother process.
Appreciate the information. I’ve been rethinking my selling strategy. Thanks
Totally agree!
Thank you for your information, I’m learning so much because I don’t know anything about real estate and I plan to buy a cheap home in PA and fix it up.
Excellent info!
Glad you think so!
I largely agree with what you said in this video, but how many repairs to complete and things to do depends on the temperature of the market. There very recently was a house on the market very close to the same square footage as our home and just around the corner from our home. Nothing was updated on the inside of the home, but it looked okay in the photos. The outside needed a lot of work. Paint was peeling on the exterior. The AC/Heating unit on the roof was old and rusting. Storage sheds in the backyard were falling apart. Fence pickets were detached from the fence. I imagine the interior of the home needed some work as well. It sold in two weeks after listing for the asking price. I don't know the details of the PA and whether or not they agreed to credits for repairs and to make repairs. Maybe they did. Point is that in a hot market like ours, it isn't necessary to fix everything up. It just depends on whether or not you're in a seller's market. I love your idea of having an home inspection, a pest inspection, and an appraisal done before the home hits the market. That is one of the best ideas I've heard in one of your videos. I want to do this, because when my home hits the market, I want to get the sale done efficiently and as soon as possible.
Thank you Audra, always appreciate your knowledge. Blessings
Thank you Flo!
Thank you 😊
you are very welcome!! Happy to help.
excellent advice as usual
Glad you think so! Appreciate it.
Thank you for all the great information!
Glad it was helpful! So happy to help!
Just to clarify, in addition to incurring the cost for the marketing, professional photos, and a home inspection, you also pay out of pocket for the stagging and the appraisal. That could be thousands of dollars.
Yes I do...and yes its thousands of dollars. But I get top dollar and repeat business....and sell the properties quicker. That's what my sellers are paying me for! You'd be crazy not to hire me:)
Agree
Audra you did say that appraisers are using an antiquated system and came in under 100,000 below one of your properties, can you suggest a way to get the most accurate appraisal?
When we bought this home it was common for houses to be on the market 6-9 months. Yes, it’s rural! Our agent looked with us for 2-3 years! Yes, she sent descriptions and we reviewed before looking at the house physically.. we had a lot of adventures along the way too! She earned her commission for sure. And yes, we drove several times because of distances. Our best adventure was a house that had been a boarding house, I think. The outside brick was showing through the walls and the kitchen was a mess. They also left Ridx in the bathroom too! And don’t get me started on the pidgeons in the attic! “The Birds” anyone? The house was listed I think at $225000. I said at best $100000, she said try $50000! If the location had been better we might have made an offer even though it was believed to be an estate with heirs disagreeing. It indeed was an old building, had a parlor and all the original wainscoting stairs and handrail. I think there were 8-9 rooms, but it was the size to be about 4-5 bedrooms.
Laughing...that is quite a house. So glad you worked with a good agent. Makes all the difference. Wonder what that house actually sold for.
@@AudraLambert I wish I remembered, they said it had more land, maybe sold with another parcel. Mom had a friend in San Bernardino that had a similar layout, except it didn’t have the extra door for the parlor. You’d recognize the layout I’m sure!
Audra we just sold a house in San Bernardino at 25000 above listing. Mike Mucino of Caydem reality did everything suggested in your playbook automatically. Your videos were a valuable heads up for me. Thank you. By the way in case you're curious it's 1558 West 20th in San Bernardino.
If you are an experienced realtor you know what the market value is of a home from past sales why would you need an appraisal?Who is paying for the appraisal?
The last place I am going to buy is an "improved" flipper house. Quick Cosmetic changes done quickly - no thanks. Behind all the shiny bling is shoddy cheap work.
Never buy a Flipper House.
Can't disagree with that...a lot of truth to your comment.
Thanks…
You're welcome! Happy to help!
What is market value? A professional appraisal? The average of three appraisal? If I do staging, it might sell for above market value (sort of your words). So list it higher? Still a little bit confusing.
Hello there, market value is what the "market" thinks your house is worth. Getting an appraiser to give you an evaluation or a trusted realtor is a good place to start. If you are going to hire an appraiser, I would just go with their opinion. After all, that is their profession (assessing home values).....Just. find a good one. If you stage and prep your house properly, you more than likely will get more than market value (especially in an appreciating market). Don't list your house for higher...the market will drive the price up (multiple offers) in an appreciating market. If the market is stabilizing, then the house should go for market value.
So you comp inspections and appraisals?
What if the realtor you are considering will not tell you what they think the house should be sold at ?There was a long silence and I asked him THREE times (not in a row , biut over the course of months time ) . He would not tell me. Then he contacts me months later . I texted , you never answered my question . "what question " he asked . I just went back into my shell .
Hi Audra - Great video!! On the topic of fixing, replacing or renovating, what are you thoughts on a Home Warranty? As you mentioned, right now is not a good time to spend a lot of money. So for instance, my water heater and HVAC are at about their so-called lifespan (according to the avg. or manuf. lifecycle). Both units are running just fine right now. At this time, I don't really have the money to replace/update these items. Is it worth offering a potential buyer a home warranty? Would offering the home warranty still allow me to sell at market value or would I still need to take their age into consideration? TIA
Hello there! I would have your HVAC systems services by a reputable company deeming the systems in good working order. If you do that, the home warranty will hold up. If the home inspector deems the units not working properly during the home inspection, then the home warranty won't warranty the systems. I think its a great idea to give the buyers a home warranty and a HVAC service deeming them in good working order. I am located in Southern California. In my area...that works. You'd have to consult with your realtor regarding what's customary in your area. Great question.
Great info!👏👏
Glad you think so!
Great advice, thanks for sharing jour expertise.
Truth or myth? A house that is on the market a long time does have something wrong with it.
I always wonder why some don't sell....
Im a new agent, doing everything I can to educate myself to offer the best service to sellers. You recommend that sellers hire agents with experience and deals under their belt. What would you recommend to me as a new agent to be a “good seller agent”?
Thank you
Love the know it alls 😅
You can't choose your appraiser since 2008. So that is just a waste of money. Hard sales past six months only way to go
Why aren’t you on tv??
So, now she is a MYTHBUSTER. Wait until Adam Savage hears about this!
Laughing.
Hi Audra,
Fellow Realtor, and TH-camr here in Greenville SC.
Please add me to your referral list.
We are also a custom builder in Greenville, SC if you have anyone relocating to the East Coast.