And the Oscar goes to … your home! With awards season in full swing, I thought we could talk about ways to get your home “red-carpet ready,” so it shines like a star on the MLS.
Speaking of the MLS, a few days ago I was reading an interesting article detailing research originally reported by Real Estate News. In a study of 2.7 million homes across 46 states from 2023 to 2024, it was revealed that homeowners who list their properties on the MLS “achieve significantly higher sales prices.” According to Zillow, in California, sellers who utilized the MLS achieved an average of $30,000 or more per sale.
There’s no doubt the that listing your property on the MLS helps maximize home price, and creates greater transparency, trust and confidence throughout the real estate process. However, the MLS is not the only way sellers can achieve a higher sales price. A home in good condition—one that’s “red-carpet ready”—is absolutely a major factor in a successful sale, and applies for any price point or budget.
As an example, I recently posted about 533 Leghorn Avenue, an incredible listing that just sold at full price for $3,995,000. We received multiple offers from buyers and agents before we could even get it on the market! How did we find such amazing selling success? We worked with Pinnacle powered by Zoom Casa Platform, which provides professional design support while managing the updates and renovations. Once a plan is in place, vetted vendors make the transformation as smooth as possible, helping to maximizing home price through strategic updates. The sellers put in a significant investment and received more than 3x their investment back in the final sold price. Check out the BEFORE and AFTER for Leghorn Avenue!
4709 Tyrone was another listing where a little touch-up went a long way. You can watch that transformation video HERE.
We also worked with Pinnacle powered by Zoom Casa Platform for our listing at 5100 Teesdale Avenue, which was on the market for the first time in almost 30 years. The transformation was truly incredible. You can view the gorgeous end result HERE.
Strategic updates can significantly maximize your home price when it comes time to list the property—and they don’t even have to be that extreme to have an impact. Updates can be as simple as painting, decluttering and making your house look good for photos. In property marketing, it all comes back to the classic adage: About 99% of first views are online. We are pitching to an online audience and that’s all about not only the quality of the photography but also the product. If your home is not “red-carpet ready” it will not get top dollar.
Some people say, “We don’t want the photos to look too good because people may be disappointed when they get to the house.” I feel it’s the opposite. A home should always look as good as possible so you can get people through the front door, and from there they can envision the possibilities of the property to ascertain if it’s a good fit. If the prospective buyer doesn’t like the photos, they won’t even make that initial step to walk through the front door. You can do this on any budget, from tiny cosmetic fixes to a major investment that yields a large return.
When your home shines online and in person, you’ll not only maximize your home price but also experience a fast sale, so you can move quickly from listing your home to lights, camera … SOLD!
–
Andrew Manning • REALTOR® • Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties • DRE: 00941825 • 818-380-2147 • andrew@andrewmanning.com