Great Clients + The Right Property + Smart Strategies = Listing Home Run
According to Hayden Wald, "the Vestavia real estate market is experiencing great strength, as are the other over-the-mountain communities. It's the strongest sellers market I've seen during my career." The number of buyers is far greater than the supply of available listings. In an effort to help their sellers capitalize on the strong demand from buyers, Mike and Hayden offer them their best advice regarding the investments to consider prior to putting their houses on the market. They've learned through decades of experience which improvements will get their clients the best returns. Most listings just need a little decluttering and some paint. Whatever clients need, Mike and Hayden have contractors they've worked with through the years that they're happy to coordinate with to do the work.
Then there are other listings that, with willing clients, can greatly benefit from more significant investments of time and resources. The Wald Group recently helped the sellers of a beautiful home situated on large lot on Dolly Ridge Road make the necessary improvements that helped them add significant value to their listing.
Idea 1: Staging and Decluttering
Mike and Hayden's stager/designer did a staging walkthrough with the sellers. The clients on this project had been planning their move to a beach property they own, for over a year. So, the interior of the house only needed minor tweaks.
Idea 2: Maximize the views the property offered
View properties are highly sought after by over-the-mountain homebuyers! Mike and Hayden had recently helped a client sell an undeveloped lot just a few houses away on Dolly Ridge. They listed the lot for $498,000 and it sold in just a few days for $525,000 after receiving several offers. So, when they realized there was potential for a view for this listing, Mike and Hayden asked the sellers if they could arrange for quotes to have some of the trees on the lot cut. The sellers agreed and two contractors offered quotes after walking the property. Both quotes seemed reasonable. So, the sellers gave the go ahead to one of contractors and after a couple of days of cutting, it became clear that there was indeed an amazing view from the back deck, kitchen, den and the master bedroom. The best news: the cost of cutting the trees was only a fraction of what Hayden and Mike estimated for the increased value due to the view.
These photos show the views from the back of the house as the process of removing and trimming trees was just getting started.
These photos reflect the dramatic transformation as the tree work was nearing completion.
Idea 3: Painting the exterior
The goal with painting the exterior was to make this 1970's split-level look more modern and to tone down the stone accents. The results were as beautiful as our clients had hoped they would be.
The following photo is a detail view of the painted stone on the front, right side of the house.
Step 4: Sell an unneeded portion of the lot to neighbors
Mike and Hayden's listing is the parcel on the left (shown above). Months before the property was listed, the Wald's helped their clients navigate the process (with the City of Vestavia) for getting the lot subdivided. Once that process was completed, they assisted their clients in selling a triangular portion of the lot to their neighbors. Due to the shape of the lots, the triangle shaped parcel was far more beneficial to the neighbor than to Mike and Hayden's clients. The resulting sale was a win-win for both parties.
Step 5: The "Coming Soon" marketing campaign
The "Coming Soon" campaign started on September 6th and showings began on Saturday, September 11th. By Monday the 12th, the listing was under contract for $875,000- $75,000 over asking price! The sellers were very pleased. Here's what they had to say about the Wald Group.
"What a great experience it was working with Mike and Hayden Wald to sell our home in Vestavia. We knew we would possibly be moving out of state, but did not know precisely when. They consulted with us for over a year before we listed our home. Not only did Mike and Hayden sell our house, they first closed the sale of part of our property to our neighbor. This involved obtaining the required city approval for changes to the boundaries of our lot. We were so fortunate they had prior experience in this area and they guided us through the process. As for selling our home, Mike and Hayden helped us maximize the value of our property by recommending that we prune trees on the property to take advantage of the distant views available from our location on a ridge. What a difference this made! When you work with Mike and Hayden it quickly becomes obvious they have exceptional in-depth knowledge regarding the whole lifecycle of selling a home. They also have an established social media presence which led to us having over 21 showings the first day we made our home available," following their Coming Soon marketing campaign. We are so pleased with how the entire process transpired. Thanks Mike and Hayden!
-Kim and Kynerd
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