Eveyone's talking about the homes that are not selling. Let's talk about the ones which are selling.

The mass media has been having fun with the current slowdown in the real estate market. It must be easier to sell ad space and gain readership/viewership when the story is all gloom and doom. Let’s talk about the homes that have sold over the past 30 days. Let’s talk about how they did it.

In just the towns of Hinsdale, Western Springs, Clarendon Hills, Downers Grove, Burr Ridge and Oak Brook, there have been 94 homes which have sold over the past 30 days. This does not include any sales of vacant lots, condos, townhouse or apartment buildings-just single family detached homes. How did they do it?

They priced it right.

Your home is not worth what you need to get out of it. It is not worth what the bank appraiser may have said it was worth to get your homequity loan. It is not worth what your neighbor says it’s worth. It may not be worth what it was wort last year. It is worth what a typical, informed buyer will pay under today’s market conditions after reasonable exposure to the open market. The basic concept is confirmed in a recent Money magazine article.

They hired an aggressive marketer.

The days are over for the agents who use the "3 P" method of marketing. That method is to Put a sign in the yard; Place it in the MLS and; Pray that it sells.

Presumably, your home is your most valuable asset. Doesn’t it make sense to hire the most qualified marketer to expose it to the market?

They made the  condition and appeal are as close to flawless as possible.

Fix everything that needs to be fixed. Fix things that almost need to be fixed. Look at your home from the buyer’s point of view. Perfect your home. In today’s market, there are plenty of alternative homes to see. As such, buyers "horriblize" imperfections. The perception of the problem becomes larger than the problem in reality.

Have a professional designed or staging expert prepare your home for sale. The difference is absolutely amazing. So are the results. Beyond de-cluttering, a staged home elicits the emotional response necessary to offset the ill effects of a real estate market slowdown.

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