I have tested the market time and time again over the last seventeen years. Things change, as do the wants and needs of buyers. The only way to stay current is to be in the trenches and test, which luckily for you Flippers, I am willing to do the leg work to make you guys more money. I have raised the pricing bar on almost every home I have rented or sold and that gives my investment clients the belief that they too can get more money for their properties.

Most Flippers and Realtors want to believe a house is a house and should be priced in lines with one another. This simply is not true! I have proven this theory over the last 17 years. Houses are about as different as people. I see Realtors do a CMA to get a low, median, and high price for a home and they base their offer or list price on that. That is not how I do it. I look at each individual house, whether it is pending, canceled, withdrawn, closed or active to determine trends.

You can’t expect a totally updated home to be priced the same as one that has had nothing done to it. You can’t expect a home on a bad block with trashy neighbors to demand as much money as a home on a great block with neighbors that take pride in their homes. I don’t care how hot a neighborhood is, if it is a crappy rehab, it is not ever going to sell anywhere close to the price I get for mine. I can go on and on at things to look at to make sure you get the most money for your home, but that will need a whole other blog. For now, I want to show you why everything matters when you are selling a home if you want top dollar.

Depending on whether it is a buyers market or sellers market will determine what upgrades/finishes you put into a home. In a buyers market if you want top dollar you have to give the buyer something different than the masses. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Simple things like new paint, crown molding, and landscaped yards go a long way. Get rid of your clutter. Buyers have so many opportunities due to inventory.

Add to a buyers market, most sellers don’t plan accordingly, and expect their houses to sell fast, which can be hard in a buyers market. There are more desperate sellers at this time and price drops occur everywhere. However, price doesn’t always matter. Everyone I know is so busy that we would rather pay more to not have to worry about upgrading or repairing anything. We want to move right in. Let’s face it, if you have looked at as many houses as I have, most don’t show that well. Toe nails in the carpet, dirty laundry on the floor, weird odors, and marks on the walls. Retail buyers want it as nice as it can be for the best price. If they see the value of what you have done and can afford it, they will pay for that value within reason.

When I was testing the market for historic homes in a buyers market, I learned that if I stopped doing all of the things I am known for, my houses would sit a little longer. By going a little extra distance with beautiful landscaped yards that cost me $500-$1,000, I would get it back in my price and also sell faster. I can’t tell you the amount of times a Flipper runs out of money and can’t finish the yard.

Buyers use to be so picky that even if they loved the house, they weren’t paying top dollar if they had to landscape a yard. I know it sounds crazy. I am not saying every single buyer that ever existed in the world acted this way. I am simply saying from my experience, people with money want turn key. Then they can add their finishing touches if they choose too but not immediately. They can bring family and friends over instantly and have bragging rights on the Fabulous house they just bought.