Change takes effort.
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The personal stories of one Realtor’s battles and triumphs in the highly-competitive Bay Area Real Estate Market, seeking to illuminate and humanize the very real ups-and-downs of homeownership.
It’s no surprise to my close friends that I’ve been on a weight-loss journey for the past year, and happily, I’ve had great success reclaiming my old body (not EXACTLY my old body but you get my drift).
The transformation didn’t happen overnight, nor did it happen alone. After reaching an emotional low on what should have been an active, fun-filled vacation with my husband’s tennis group in Mallorca, Spain (NOT), I finally had to admit defeat (it wasn’t pretty). After ignoring the creeping pounds for nearly a decade, I finally joined a weight-loss clinic on my return home, took FULL advantage of all that medical science has to offer, followed the suggested protocol, and then got to work one excruciating pound at a time. (Losing weight in your 60s ISN’T like losing weight when you’re a teenager.)
Aside from the nutritional education, diet, and support the counselors provided, this particular program also requires each participant to weigh in weekly, while periodically monitoring your blood levels, as well as your fat-to-muscle ratio (a sobering measurement if ever there was one), thus, removing the blinders, and making me both aware AND accountable for my actions and behaviors moving forward.
Always a good student, I’m a girl who works well under pressure. Consequently, the support the counselors provided, along with portion control (as well as the total absence of sugar and carbs), proved to be the magical combination that finally overcame my excuses, not to mention my apathy, and resignation. (Turns out, support is a good thing.)
- Was it slow? (Yes.)
- Was it hard? (Often.)
- Was it worth it? (Absolutely.)
Ironically, Realtors® are in the business of transformation so this should have come more easily. Fact: transformations NEVER come easily.
In other words, change is difficult, so when we meet with prospective Sellers and suggest that their homes are going to require a fair amount of preparation if top-dollar is the intended goal, it can be unwelcome news, to say the least.
“But this paint tone was deemed ‘color-of-the-year’ in 1987.” (Uhhh, that was 34 years ago, right?)
“Popcorn ceilings were all the rage; it didn’t bother us.” (“Were” being the operative word here.)
“Do you really think we need to pay for staging? (Yes, we most definitely do.)
And so it goes . . . .
At the end of the day, this is your house, your money, and your investment, which means you get to decide what and how much work you’ll let us do. If you’re comfortable accepting LESS, every house can be sold AS IS, but there’s usually a declining return-on-investment when presenting the house in its current lived-in condition, and Sarah and I would be entirely remiss by failing to mention that crucial consideration.
However, for those of you hoping to maximize your home’s HIGHEST value (and let’s be real – that’s MOST of us), you’ll be best served by listening and following your Realtors’® advice, and then letting us improve the property – one step at time.
Will it be hard? (That’s entirely up to you.)
Will it take some time? (Undoubtedly.)
Will it be worth it? (Absolutely.)
As you are paying for the advice and expertise of a real estate professional, with all due respect, it behooves you to listen, which includes a good deal of blind faith and trust, and often, a significant investment as well. Additionally, we’ll need at least 4-6 weeks to inspect, repair, prepare, and professionally photograph the home before we can bring it to market. (First impressions are critical.) And while this is akin to stepping on the scale and facing some hard truths, once we set an achievable goal, success is sure to follow.
Even so, we recognize that we’re asking for a great deal of willingness and change in a relatively short period of time. You may have lived in the house for 10, 20 or 30 years; OR, this may have been the house you grew up in; OR, you’re not ready to sell but unexpected life circumstances are forcing the sale; OR there’s been a death in the family, OR a change in employment, OR you’ve outgrown the home, OR the home is too large, OR, OR, OR . . . . (Life is full of curve balls.)
Furthermore, you may have unrealistic market expectations that are difficult to meet . . . AND just to be clear, you may HATE the process from beginning to end. (You wouldn’t be the first.) Whatever the motivation, challenges, resistance, or roadblocks, remember that the resolution on this end should open space for the next step in your unique and compelling journey.
Which is why we care as deeply as we do: approaching each transaction thoughtfully, mindfully, and intentionally. Ultimately, our goal is to off-load the stress of selling as much as humanly possible with the clear understanding that moving (even under the best of circumstances) is inherently STRESSFUL. (You’re allowed to be conflicted.) That being said, you’re paying us to problem-solve and good news, we’re incredibly adept at finding solutions.
So if a move is on the horizon, whether in 2025, or much further down the road, and if you’re open to transformation, we’d love to meet with you to discuss your plans, how we might be of service, and what our highly-qualified team brings to the process . . . . With hundreds of sales under our collective belts, we’re here to support you every step of the way.
How can we help you?
Julie Gardner & Sarah Abel | Compass Realty
Not just Realtors, but consultants in all things house and home, we’re here to educate, explore, examine and refer . . . In short, you may count on us to take care of your home as if it were our own and anyone who knows us, knows we take pretty darn good care of our homes.
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