Like all complicated journeys, this one requires patience, commitment and a lot of planning by an expert in the field.
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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.
Come late December, Cliff and I, and our grown kids, are headed to Tanzania, Rwanda, and Kenya. A safari has been high on my bucket list for years, and I want my family to see the great migration while it’s still “great.” And since we’re paying for the trip, the boys have little choice but to tag along. (Happy Chanukah.)
Aside from the hefty investment such a vacation entails, I’m reminded that a successful trip to Sub-Saharan Africa requires copious amount of planning. Just as importantly, it necessitates a deep dive with the travel nurses, while they prescribe a long list of preventative immunizations based on our respective ages and medical records. For me, the shots have included Yellow Fever, Hepatitis B, Polio, Flu, Covid, Tetanus and Pneumonia boosters. The Malaria pills start a day before we leave and continue for a week after we return. In short, I’m ready for the apocalypse.
Gratefully, Cliff handles most of our overseas arrangements, with the help of a professional Travel Agent we’ve relied upon for years. While AI abounds, when it comes to multi-tiered, complicated vacations with A LOT of moving parts, it helps to have a REAL-LIFE HUMAN BEING who understands the specific ins and outs of traveling overseas, especially when it involves developing countries. With Laura’s help, we can venture forth knowing the small and large details have been expertly handled, and that someone will meet us at the airport once we arrive to shepherd us from one awe-inspiring location to another.
And because this isn’t our Agent’s first rodeo (um safari), we’ve also received a detailed list of what exactly we need to bring along . . . . Given that we are each limited to one small, soft-sided duffle/backpack to cover three weeks in three countries, careful planing is the difference between a memorable time, OR a rather disappointing one. (Perish the thought.)
It’s no different when it comes to selling your home.
Sarah and I start with a detailed list we’ve honed through the years which maps out the process for the next several weeks and months, and then do our best to stick to the carefully orchestrated timeline. We set a budget, put the relevant players in place, investigate the property, compile the disclosures (past and present), thoroughly prep and market your home, and coordinate all activity from start to finish. In short, we do it all, with the help of our small, but dedicated team – and yes, it’s likely to push you out of your comfort zone. Selling can often be both a complicated and a truncated process.
As the daughter of an Independent Broker, my dad was fond of saying that in his day “the contract was one page long, and it was signed on the hood of a car.” (Those days are long gone, Dad.)
Of course, staging hadn’t come onto the scene yet and Agents weren’t expected to plan and oversee whole renovations prior to bringing a property to market. A little fresh paint and some new shag carpet were about the extent of the work my father oversaw, and properties were sold “as is,” but often took months (not weeks) to sell.
What’s more, homes typically sold UNDER their asking price with a tremendous amount of back and forth along the way. That’s definitely NOT today’s construct where supply & demand have created bidding wars that require a deft hand and nuanced negotiations, with little to no time to conduct due diligence or to reconsider. In other words, the stakes are MUCH higher, as is the investment in a home.
The truth is that over the course of the last two decades, a Realtor’s® job has evolved considerably from hammering a sign into the front lawn to managing teams of vendors, remodeling kitchens and bathrooms, staving off lawsuits, and becoming highly-effective marketing and negotiating experts. AND because a home’s value is absolutely subjective, who you choose to work with “absolutely” DOES matter.
By way of example, my neighbor’s house around the corner twisted in the wind for months. Incorrectly priced, poorly presented, and rarely open, this probate sale chased the market down and performed as expected . . . badly. Half the time, the sign post was on the verge of falling down.
By contrast, Sarah and I just represented a property in the same neighborhood. We styled and transformed the home and garden, held a private Open and Brokers’ Tour, and sold the house (off-market) for far more than anyone anticipated in less than two weeks.
Were the Sellers thrilled, relieved, and nurtured? “Absolutely.”
Such happy endings don’t occur by accident, but through teamwork and collaboration with many others (including the Sellers). More importantly, its crucial to bring our experience, and professional connections to the equation.
At the risk of tooting our own horns, I’ve yet to meet the out-of-area Agent, discount Agent, or AI Agent (bot) that will show up on a Sunday morning with blower in hand and fresh-baked cookies; who turns on the lights, sweeps the floors, and prepares for the Sunday Open; who can eloquently speak to the home and neighborhood, problem-solve in real time, and manage the process from beginning to end. That’s where good training and skills come in, and why people continue to hire Realtors in an increasingly automated world. Home sales are specialized journeys, unique to each particular home seller. Ergo, the more planning, the better.
And on that note, I’ve got more preparing to do!
Africa, here we come, I couldn’t be more excited.
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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