No Big Rush to List a Home in Land Park

The year of 2019 is starting out very busy. I thought this weekend would be fairly quiet, but I guess as people sat around watching football or perhaps recovering from New Year’s Eve activities, they started to think about buying and selling real estate in Sacramento. That’s because I received a ton of phone calls: Should we list a home in Land Park now? Can I afford to buy a home before interest rates rise? When is a good time to put homes in Land Park on the market? Should I fix up my home or sell as is?

One home seller in Land Park asked if I wanted to come over to sign the listing paperwork or if I preferred to wait until the seller finishes making improvements. I’m not one of those agents who worries about losing clients to another agent, so there is no rush to list a home in Land Park until the home is ready to be shown.

The thing is it is in the seller’s best interest to put a home on the market when that home is in tip-top shape. In the past, I have shown homes that were not yet prepared for sale to real estate agents, erroneously believing that agents have the ability to look past defects and construction work and give an estimate of value. What I have discovered is that many agents aren’t any different from buyers. Some of them can’t see past a mess. They want to view the home in turn-key condition.

The first few weeks on the market are crucial. A seller in Land Park needs to present that home in its absolute best light. It should shine from top to bottom and be immaculate. There is no reason to give a buyer even one small reason to pass up that home in Land Park. I don’t want buyers to come away from a showing with any lingering doubts.

I prefer to hit the market with a bang. Virtual tour, in place and uploaded. Check. Perfect verbiage on every website. Check. Professional photographs, tweaked, brightened. Check. Broker / MLS tours, set up and scheduled. Check. Open house, advertising ready. Check. Online marketing, extensive exposure. Check. Bay area emails prepared. Check. No rush to toss a listing into MLS. In the immortal words probably last uttered by David Carradine: Patience, young grasshopper. And look what happened to Carradine. OK, maybe don’t.

Think of it this way: Would you push a fashion model down the runway who is limping on one foot, pulling on her second shoe? Well, some misguided eager-beavers would. I prefer to make a grand entrance. When I list a home in Land Park, I find my sellers expect a big splash.