Madeline Meixner - Selling Your House: The Secrets You Need to Know

By Madeline Botts Meixner

rev 9.15.10

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Copyright 2010 by Madeline Meixner

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Madeline B. Meixner

I have spent over 30 years in mortgagebanking, real estate law, and real estate leasing and sales. Overthe course of my career, I learned many techniques that can be usedto sell homes very quickly in less-than-ideal markets. The markethas never been more "down" and these tricks-of-the-trade have neverbeen so desperately needed as they are today.

I have helped countless real estate clientssell their houses using the strategies in this book. I have alsoused these same techniques to sell our own personal properties withgreat success. I'll give you a couple of quick examples:

Our first house sold in 14 days in a market(Tampa, Florida) and neighborhood (North Tampa) where the averagehouse took 300-plus days to sell. We sold it "by owner" and used anattorney for the closing, all in less than 30 days!

The last house we sold was in an even moredifficult market. Some of the houses in our little town (inOklahoma near Tulsa) stayed on the market for over two years! Ourhouse sold in just under two weeks before I even held one openhouse!

No, I don't have a magic wand, but I do "knowstuff" that enabled me to stage my houses in a way that encouragedbuyers to see these houses as their futurehomes . Using the strategies you will learn in this book, Iwas able to eliminate many of the worries that slow down the "yes"from a potential buyer. In other words, I knew exactly how my househad to look to make it marketable both to get the shoppers in thedoor and to provide the information they needed to realize this wasthe house for their family!

I will share those tricks-of-the-trade withyou here. When you finish reading, you will be able to look at yourown house in a new way, objectively, and see it through the eyes ofyour buyer. You will be able to set about making your housebuyer-friendly and sales-ready. You will read things here that yourRealtor might not tell you whether your Realtor is a friend or astranger things you just don't discuss in polite company. I won'tspare your feelings but I will help you sell your house!

MY BACKGROUND - Istarted my business career in mortgage banking, servicing mortgagesin the customer service department of a large mortgage company inKentucky. Eventually I was promoted into processing and closing VA,FHA, and conventional loans. My career then moved into the legalworld, where I worked for real estate attorneys in Kentucky andlater, in Florida.

Eventually I sat for my Florida Real EstateLicense. I worked in commercial real estate, leasing and managingcommercial properties mostly professional office space and someretail and restaurant space. This is where I learned about staging.My area of commercial leasing was primarily very high-endprofessional office space in high-rise buildings as well as upscalegarden-type office complexes. Our properties had to be inviting andelegant and we spared no expense in the presentation of ourfacilities. I supervised the build out and decor of thousands ofsquare feet of space. I later brought this staging expertise intosingle-family homes.

When my husband and I moved from Florida toOklahoma, I realized that I was going to have to leave commercialleasing. I obtained my Oklahoma Real Estate license and entered theworld of residential sales. Having worked for mortgage brokers andreal estate attorneys organizing home closings for many years, thiswas not a difficult transition for me. My commercial leasingexperience served me well in residential sales. I found that Iactually had an edge over old-time Realtors who had no idea what iteven meant to "stage" a house for sale. I became very popular veryquickly, and my sales reflected my unique and effective insightsinto selling a house.

Over the years, I have advised countlesshomeowners on how to prepare their properties for the market. AfterI retired from real estate, I was still being asked for "just anhour of your time" to give a short primer on getting a house readyfor market. "Just walk through and tell us what we need to do,we'll buy you dinner."

It occurred to me that there is a desperateneed for this information a concise and easy-to-understand primeron exactly what you need to do to get your house ready to sellFAST. I wrote that primer and have shared it with a good number offamily and friends over the years. People often ask permission toshare it with their friends. Almost everyone who has read it hastold me that I should have it published. So, here it is, theproduct of many years in the trenches, at your fingertips hopefully, just in the nick of time!

If you have made the decision to sell yourhouse, there are things you need to know that your agent probablywont tell you.

During my career in real estate I have oftenseen homes on the market that just werent ready to sell. They maybe quite comfortable for the residents but they arent ready forthe public. When your house is on the market it must bemarketable just like any other product for sale. Making yourhouse marketable is not a difficult job, but you need to beginthinking in a new way about how your house should look.

Making your house marketable doesntnecessarily mean spending a lot of money. Many of the suggestionshere will only require time and energy. Most of the recommendationsare simple and easy and can be accomplished in a very short time. Alittle effort can go a long way and can actually translate intomoney in your pocket. So, lets get started.

Looking for a house is fun at first, but itquickly gets tiresome. In most areas there are so many houses onthe market that buyers begin looking for a way to narrow down theselection. The situation is similar to the job market. You may haveheard that a good resume is critical when job hunting because HRmanagers receive so many resumes they look for any excuse toeliminate one in order to narrow the field. This theory alsoapplies to house hunters. Your house needs to stand out from thepack. It has to grab buyers attention and make them want to take acloser look.

When a buyer eliminates a house fromconsideration, the reasons are often psychological rather thanpractical. The house just doesnt feel right for any one of anumber of reasons. You may have a well constructed home with agreat floor plan in a good neighborhood. However, if the buyerscant envision themselves living comfortably in that home for somereason, then your house will be knocked out of contention. Thehouse has to feel right. You will learn to apply specificstrategies that will help you make your house feel right, and thebetter it feels the faster it will sell.

If you're using a Realtor, the agent wholists your home works for you. When your home sells, your agentwill receive a real estate fee from the proceeds of that sale...from you. This makes you the agents employer in a way. Anyone whohas ever had a boss understands how difficult it is to tell theboss he needs to clean up his act. No matter how appropriate itmay be, its awkward and embarrassing to tell someone that theirhome needs work. Your Realtor may not feel comfortable discussingcertain issues. This publication will tell you the truth.