Storytelling Sells Homes for Top Dollar!

Creating an emotional attachment for your home can get it sold faster than you can say, Uncle.

Out of the blue, we received a call from potential clients, Doug and Barbara, about them wanting us to list their home for them in Downtown Orlando. They were referred to us by Doug’s parents Rick and Helen.

Three years ago we helped Rick and Helen sell their home in Whisper Lakes and they were very happy with the results we delivered both as Orlando Realtors and consultants.

You see, Rick and Helen both understood the process as well as the unique approach we use to sell Orlando homes to produce the biggest profits for our sellers. Unlike some listing clients, they did everything we asked from them to a T and the result was that we broke the record for the neighborhood producing the highest price sale per sq ft in Whisper Lakes. Even to this day, and that was three years ago…

Rick and Helen had already given us the lowdown on their son and daughter-in-law’s situation so we could be prepared. They also mentioned how Doug and Barbara tried selling their home several times before with no success. So, my first move was to look up their home in Downtown Orlando, the old expired listing.

Although it was a pretty nice house, there were some fundamental mistakes that I noticed immediately. I also noticed that the real estate agent they used was a friend of mine and we had worked on several deals together over the years. And although he was a friend and a decent agent, he doesn’t have the same approach or the mentality that we have to sell Orlando Real Estate.

Beware of the “List it and Leave it” Realtor…

Unfortunately, he’s one of the thousands of Orlando real estate agents that just list it and leave it. And although he’s a friend, I’m not in the business of sharing my secrets of selling homes for maximum profit with my competition. See, we use a psychological approach to sell homes in Orlando.

When we interview a potential seller, we really put them through the wringer. It’s important to do this so we can find out what our client’s motivation is. Once we have this information, we come up with a strategy and plan so that we can achieve the desired results. Why cause not everyone’s motivation is the same. That’s why every single one of our listing clients gets a completely customized plan of action to achieve their desired result.

Even though the success rate isn’t 100%, by doing this we get results that far exceed our client’s expectations. So when Doug and Barbara came in for their initial consultation, their motivation became crystal clear to me. They had already moved to a different home and didn’t want to continue making two mortgage payments nor did they want to become landlords by renting out the home they vacated.

At this point, they just wanted to sell their Orlando home for top dollar as quickly as possible. You are probably thinking…..Who doesn’t want to sell for top dollar as fast as possible?… Well, not everyone needs to sell immediately.

Some homeowners don’t need to sell immediately. And in that case, they have the luxury of being able to “test the market”. Others are facing foreclosure and need a short sale. Over the years we’ve successfully worked with almost every situation imaginable, we just have to know what the client’s motivation is so we can come up with a game plan.

Back to Doug and Barbara’s story… We came up with a pretty aggressive game plan for them that included some pretty costly repairs and upgrading, like putting in Stone countertops as well as a fresh coat of paint and new carpeting in some rooms. Since we regularly rehab homes in Orlando, we were able to get them reasonable pricing on all the repairs by using our own contractors. This undertaking was not cheap, but 100% necessary for Doug and Barbara to get the results they needed.

After some intense planning and coordinating of schedules between sellers and contractors, the work was done in less than 2 weeks. Once the house was showroom ready it was time to call in our professional photographer (you must have awesome and amazing photos to sell a house for maximum profit). In this particular house, our photographer went out twice at different times of the day just to get the right lighting.

Doug and Barbara were stressed out!

They had questions about the process like…  “Why are we spending money on a house we want to sell?” I asked them to please trust me. And because they were referred to us by Doug’s parents, they did exactly that. I’m very careful to never guarantee anyone specific results, but I do guarantee that by following our recommendations and game-plan, they will be in the best position possible to get the results they need.

Don’t tell anyone but, our “secret” is to try our best to create an emotional attachment between a buyer and the house. In order to do this properly, there are certain steps that you must follow, sometimes it’s something major, sometimes it’s just a little tweaking, all geared towards finding the right emotions of the home.

It’s true, buying a home should be an economical and logical decision and you should try and keep your emotions out of it. However, when I’m working with buyers, despite me warning them about keeping their emotions in check when we’re actively looking at homes, most of them just can’t help getting emotional once they see “the one”. There’s no denying that buying a new home involves EMOTIONS.

This is the top reason we do everything we do… Professional photos, staging, videos, buzz campaign, cookies in the oven at the open house, it’s all choreographed to create an emotional attachment to the home.

This is what most Orlando realtors just don’t understand. They have no understanding of human psychology, therefore they don’t understand emotional trigger points or “hot buttons”. They have no clue about the “rule of 3’s” in telling a story. This means they don’t have a detailed approach to achieve the goal of maximum profits for their clients.

Sellers who want to half-ass what we recommend to do in our initial meeting can’t expect to achieve the highest dollar amount for their home which is something we tell them going in.

I’m very upfront with my seller clients and if they don’t agree with my recommended listing price on their home as-is and they’re not willing to do the needed repairs to get the highest dollar amount, then I wish them all the best and move on.

Note to Sellers: Sellers should beware of listing agents who agree with whatever listing price the seller wants. They’ll just wait for you to get frustrated and drop the price. This can cost the seller thousands in profit!

Back to Doug and Barbara. After all the repairs and upgrades were complete, listing day and the open house were upon us. Our patented “33 step media blitz” campaign always delivers great results for our open houses. In the 12-4 pm window, we had for walk-ins, about 20-25 buyers, buyers agents and of course, tire kickers [that came for free cookies] walk through the home with some very positive comments flying through the air.

It was a great turnout that produced 4 solid offers by the very next day. And I’m happy to say that we got $4,000 over the asking price because it turned into a bidding war [the only kind of war I condone] The sellers even ended up buying about a third of the furniture from our staging company!

I asked the buyers at the closing, what they liked about the house. They said it just blew every other listing they saw out of the water, and they could totally see themselves raising their young family there.

Mission…. Accomplished! We achieved our client’s desired outcome by implementing the power of human emotion.

Few realtors in Orlando understand the power of storytelling and how it can be used to sell houses. We learned a long time ago that conveying your message, principles, and thoughts through telling a story is more powerful and engaging than anything else you could do. That’s why we consider ourselves storytellers that happen to be in the real estate business. If you would like more info on selling for top dollar visit us at https://orlandorealtyconsultants.com/

I hope you enjoyed the story!

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Inspiration Through Short Sales

 

Inspiration can be found anywhere and it’s all up to the individual and what he or she is inspired by. It can be found on a slow walk on the beach or even traveling 90 miles per hour on a speed boat.

 

Something that’s always inspired me has been helping people. Maybe it’s the mother in me, but whether it’s helping my sons put on their soccer cleats or helping someone to short sale their home and avoid foreclosure, the biggest reward for me is seeing that look on someone’s face when they’ve accomplished something that they thought to be impossible.

 

 
Sometimes it’s easy to get derailed from what’s really important in life. One minute you can be in a great mood just driving down the road then an impatient driver cuts you off or you get a flat tire. Then, all of a sudden your in a bad mood and frustrated and you allow it to ruin part or even the rest of your day.

 

 

When you look at the big picture, instances like these are just little obstacles that are part of everyday life and making them out to be anything more is just a waste of your time and energy. So don’t sweat the small stuff!

 

 
Working as a short sale realtor in Orlando, I’ve had clients get discourage and frustrated about how long it’s taking their lender to process their short sale, or if it will even get approved! They have to live with a sense of uncertainty about what the outcome will be which can be mentally draining. Although their frustration is warranted, it’s a complete waste of time and energy to worry about what’s out of your control.

 

 
Having completed thousands of short sales over the years, I’ve become a counselor for distressed homeowners in helping them to deal with the emotional side of the process. Potentially losing your home can be stressful and even mentally crippling, especially when you have a family that’s depending on you to keep a roof over their head.

 

 
A real estate agent’s role in completing a short sale is basically a middle person between the seller and the short sale lender. If a seller takes their own sweet time in sending me documents that the bank is requesting yesterday, then they’re only hurting themselves. In this case procrastination is the homeowner’s worst enemy.

 

 
I try to get my clients to maintain a positive outlook on the situation and focus on the desired results, which is to complete the short sale on their house and avoid having a foreclosure on their record and even get them a few thousand bucks back from the bank at the closing. Keeping a positive attitude throughout the process will only make things easier and help to reach their goal.

 

 

Although short sales are never guaranteed, if you have the right team fighting for you, then at least you’re giving it your best shot. If you or someone you know need help with an Orlando short sale, give me a call 407-902-7750 or visit https://orlandorealtyconsultants.com/short-sale-experts/

 

Orlando short sale agent

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Orlando Real Estate Market Still 5th In The Nation

Real Estate In Orlando Remains In Top 5 Markets For Investing

Are you looking for a great market to buy residential investment properties? Well, nothing’s a sure bet in this life, but the Orlando Real Estate Market  is one of the best in the nation for investing in single-family homes right now.

According to a list of the top twenty real estate markets for investing in the nation, Orlando comes in 5th place overall and number one in Florida.

The criteria that was used in determining was based on the growth of the population as well as job growth. Both of these circumstances are ideal for investing in single-family homes. All twenty of the markets that made the list increased in population by 2%.

 

Top 20 Real Estate Markets In The U.S For Investing:

  1. AustinRound Rock, TX
  2. HoustonBaytownSugar Land, TX
  3. RaleighCary, NC
  4. NashvilleDavidsonMurfreesboro, TN
  5. Orlando, FL
  6. Boise CityNampa, ID
  7. San Antonio, TX
  8. DenverAurora, CO
  9. CharlotteGastoniaConcord, NC
  10. North PortBradentonSarasota, FL
  11. Oklahoma City, OK
  12. PhoenixMesaScottsdale, AZ
  13. SeattleBellevueEverett, WA
  14. DallasPlanoIrving, TX
  15. OaklandFremontHayward, CA
  16. Fort WorthArlington, TX
  17. Las VegasParadise, NV
  18. Salt Lake City, UT
  19. San JoseSunnyvaleSanta Clara, CA
  20. San FranciscoSan MateoRedwood City, CA

 

Real Estate Agents In Orlando Are Elated!

Making #5 on the top twenty list in the nation is great press for attracting even more investors to the Orlando real estate market and Realtors in Orlando couldn’t be happier! Overall, most realtors have been busier this year when compared to the first quarter of 2014 and it’s because of the investor-friendly market we’re experiencing right now. Top Orlando Realtors are extremely busy right now with both buyers and sellers and will have to work even harder to keep up as we get further into 2015.

 

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Orlando HOAs Revealed!

Recently, I had a potential buyer call me about moving to Orlando from New Jersey. This particular buyer was interested in the neighborhood of Hunters Creek, FL because he had a young family and he knew that Hunters Creek was voted the 21st best place to live in the U.S. just a couple of years ago. In our first conversation, he says to me “Whatever, you don’t show me any houses where there is a homeowners association”. I can’t say I was surprised to hear this, I hear it all of the time. There’s a lot of bad press about HOAs, especially when it comes to short sales and trying to negotiate with them on discounting the amount owed by a seller, but that’s a different subject altogether.

My first order of business as an Orlando real estate agent was to tell this buyer that every neighborhood in Hunters Creek is governed by an HOA. I then had to educate him on how communities like these put HOAs in place to protect their residents. Imagine if everyone was allowed to paint their house any color they wanted…Yikes!!! or what if residents didn’t have to pick up after their dogs? It would be total Chaos!

I knew that if I was going to keep him as a client I would have to do one of two things; either find him another neighborhood to live in or convince him that not all HOAs are evil. It forced me to do some deep research about HOA’s. See below.

What’s An HOA?

An HOA is an organization in a planned community or condominium that makes and enforces rules for the properties under its jurisdiction. An HOA survives by collecting fees, either monthly or quarterly to pay for the upkeep of the community’s common areas like soccer fields, dog parks, tennis courts, community centers, etc. They also enforce the community rules AKA “the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions”. If there weren’t a set of rules in place, the neighborhood would be much less appealing. These are the rules that keep your neighbor from painting her house bright purple or parking their RV in the driveway. It’s true that sometimes HOAs can be overly strict in some cases, but it’s always in the best interest of the community.

What Do HOAs Cover?

It depends on what community you’re talking about because every HOA is different. You can find out what any particular HOA covers simply by contacting the one that runs the community that you’re interested in.

Who or What Runs The HOA?

The HOA is run by the Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions AKA the CC&Rs. This will decide how a HOA will function including but not limited to: what’s allowed, what’s not allowed, and how elections and assessments are managed. Typically, there’s a Board of Directors that are unpaid residents of the community that make sure that the community rules and restrictions are followed and enforced. Also, there’s a management company that’s hired to collect fees and schedule maintenance to common grounds like landscapers, park maintenance, etc.

What Happens If You Don’t Pay Your HOA Fees?

The HOA has the right to put a lien on your property for non-payment. If the homeowner doesn’t pay the fees for whatever reason, the HOA can actually have the ability to foreclose on the property. This may be hard to believe but it happens all the time here in Orlando. Even though the mortgage company is in the first position if it goes into foreclosure, the HOA has the right to receive up to one year’s worth of HOA dues under Florida law

Why Do Some HOA Fees Increase?

The short answer is inflation. The fees that you pay to your HOA are based on the budget that was determined for that fiscal year. The budget covers day-to-day operations, field maintenance, pest control, landscaping, etc. Also, there should always be a reserve for any unforeseen events that may come up. If the HOA determines that the fees charged won’t cover the needs of the community, then the fees will increase. 

 

 

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Choosing The Best School For Your Child

If you’re a parent like I am, you know that when you make everyday choices in life it’s all about what’s best for your kids first and foremost and everything else comes second. Even the friends that we hang out with these days are other parents we’ve met either through school the soccer team or some other activity that our kids are involved in together, with the common denominator always being the kids.

Back in the day, people wouldn’t put too much weight into what school their kids would be going to when searching for a house to call home. Mostly because their options were very limited, you would either send your child to the closest public school or you would enroll them in a private school. I personally went to a Catholic school in New Jersey [and my ears still hurt]

As parents today we have so many different options that the challenge now is choosing the right school for your child. There are several factors that you should consider when determining the best educational choice. For example, if your child is a soccer star, you may want to pick a school with an outstanding soccer program. Maybe you would like for the school to be close by so that your child can walk to and from school. Whatever it is that you’re looking for in a school, you have to do some research so that you know which school will be best for you and your family.

Working as an Orlando Real Estate Agent, I always try to educate my buyers on the schools that are available in the area they’re looking to buy in. If someone’s not happy with the school that their child will be attending, then they should probably consider living in a different neighborhood if at all possible.

How To Start Researching Schools
A good start would be to write down what your child’s needs are first then the needs of your family as a whole. `
What are your child’s strengths? What are they excelling at? What’s their best shot at getting a scholarship!? For example, if your child excels in science or math, you’d be better off with a school that is known for having a strong science or math program. If your child happens to be a talented guitarist, why not send them to a school that specializes in music.

Once you’ve imagined what the perfect school would look like, you can move forward to the next step, online research. There are countless online resources available to help you get information like national testing scores and how the schools rank statewide as well as nationally.

Go In Person
It’s an amazing time we live in where we can research soo many things at the touch of our fingertips. However, when it comes to finding a school for your child, it’s worth taking that extra step to do an onsite visit of your top choices if at all possible. And if you have the option of bringing your child along, even better. Have a list of questions ready for your visit. Like the ones listed below.

Some Basic Questions To Ask On The School Tour

How many classrooms are there?
What’s the average number of students per classroom?
What facilities do they have?
What extra-curricular activities do they offer?

One of the best ways to research a school is to talk to other parents. They are experiencing the school the same way as you will be. Parents will be able to tell what they like and what they don’t like about the school within a matter of a few minutes. At the end of the day, just knowing that you have different options is a great thing.

Here are some fantastic resources for researching schoolshttp://www.greatschools.org/florida/

nces.ed.gov/

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