December 12, 2013  Beyond a Fresh Coat of Paint  -A A +A  Beyond
a Fresh Coat of Paint  To beat the competition during this
competitive spring buying season, don't just get your listings
out there early, get your listings overhauled. You'll have your
commission check in hand while others are wondering where their
prospects went.  Ever arrive at a seller's home to do a listing
presentation and discover the house needs more than cleaning and
tidying to sell anywhere near the price the sellers want?  Since
first impressions are critical for buyers, you may be tempted to
forget the listing rather than spend time and money to advertise
a losing proposition—especially during the busy spring buying
season.  Buck up. By helping the sellers see the problems and
suggesting improvements that won't strap their budgets, you can
save the listing and possibly get more for the house than you'd
get otherwise.  Here's how we did that with a listing whose
kitchen was considered lovely in the 1970s. It had an attached
pantry, lo