Well, the real estate market in Arizona has definitely gotten out of the fast lane and over to the far right with the snowbirds in Cadillacs and the driver’s ed cars. We’re still puttering along, but the ride’s not the high speed chase it once was.

It’s a new experience for me. When I got my license and started selling houses, there was very little effort involved in getting them to sell at whatever we asked in under a week. Now, my listings have been sitting for a month or two with no offers to speak of. I’ve spent the last month becoming educated on the ins and outs of getting houses sold. Obviously, I can’t work miracles, but there are techniques I hadn’t had the opportunity to learn last year what with the houses flying off the shelves, so to speak.

One of the most important things in getting a house to sell, is, of course, pricing it correctly. They say that anything will sell at the right price. And then, there is exposure. I’ve always done my best to get my listing descriptions worded the best they can be and of course order virtual tours. With one of my listings, however, we’ve decided to go the extra mile. Some of the other agents with listings in the neighborhood, and I have put together a neighborhood open house. We’re all going to hold our houses open at the same time next weekend and advertise in the paper as well as with a banner and balloons. The idea is to get as many bodies through as possible to hopefully find that perfect buyer.

Beyond pricing and exposure, there is just making the house look its best. I have a listing in Chandler that is currently vacant. The family has moved to Indiana and we are trying our best to get the sucker sold. In the last week we’ve had the carpets and the house cleaned and the landscaping trimmed and weeded. I’ve also had some negative feedback from the large cemented in planter in the living room:

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Lots of potential buyers thought it was obtrusive and a little bit of an eye sore. So I hired a handyman to remove it and patch in the floor:

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I’m thrilled that it was as easy as it ended up being. Unfortunately, now the walls need painting. I think, however, that paint will be the last step in this house. It should leave us with our best foot forward and a buyer in hand. Sometimes, you’ve just got to get a little creative.