Friday, September 04, 2009 10:53:36 PM

 

So I know this blog is supposed to be about life in Sun City West and not real estate per say, but I am a Realtor and this is about my life in Sun City West, so I'm going with it.....

 

O.K., I'm not sure how to start this entry.  I don't want to sound negative, I guess just hopefully helpful. 

 

Here goes, if you are a homeowner or a listing agent in Arizona...or anywhere that gets very hot in the summertime.  And you are trying to sell your home I'd like to take a moment of your time to make some suggestions, that could help sell your home faster.

 

#1 If your home is vacant, PLEASE just leave the AC on!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not suggesting a chilly 70 degrees or even 80 degrees, though 80-85 would be very comfortable.  But at the very least set the thermostat to not more than 89 or 90 degrees max for goodness sakes!!  It will be worth the money in electricity to have someone buy your home sooner rather than later.  Simply because the longer they stay the more they look at and experience the home. 

 

#2 Invest $5.00 in some small sized bottled water and keep it nicely chilled in the refrigerator with a note to agents and their clients to let them know water is available.  Leave your refrigerator on at the warmest setting, it will cost less and will still keep the water cool.  That way also the refrigerator will not smell, there is almost nothing worse than opening a refrigerator (in a super hot house, looking for cold water) that has been turned off for awhile, that awful smell just permeates the room (ewww, a bad smell raging through a hot house)!  A little hint, if you put large plastic jugs of water in the freezer, when the water in the jugs freezes, it will take less energy to keep the refrigerator running, because the jugs of ice keep the freezer cold.

 

Now the venting......

 

I have spent this summer going in and out of HOT homes (I'm talking HOT, 95-104 degrees!), and a hot car.  Remember when folks are out to buy homes in hot climates in the summer time, it is not for fun or entertainment, these are serious buyers and you want them to want to be comfortable in your home.

 

SIDEBAR:  Yes, by the way, there are quite a few buyers out there right now in the summer heat.  Home sales by units is up at 2005 numbers for the last 4 months, in our office, in our community and in Maricopa County in general.  In fact some parts of the county are even seeing housing prices going up!! Yes it is still a good time to buy, there is still plenty of inventory available to choose from out there.  For more info and or details check out the Windermere Arizona Blog for the latest facts and figures by city.

 

Yes I bring water for my clients and myself, but it runs out or gets warm/hot and there is nothing more refreshing than some nice cool water, in a nice cool home. 

 

See when a home is being sold it is a very large ticket item for the person buying the "item", so some marketing needs to be considered, think about it, if you go shopping in a market or store how long would you stay if there was no air conditioning?  Get the picture, good, let's move on here.   so the idea is to get them to stay in your home for as long as possible, at least semi-COMFORTABLY!!!!!!!!  Because if either the agent or the client gets too uncomfortably hot, they ain't going to stick around very long. 

 

This summer, there is a lovely home in our community, with a rare, unique and desirable floor plan for sale here in town, that while it is a tad overpriced, I will show it every chance I can....want to know why, can you guess??? 

 

This homeowner knows what to do; The temperature of the home is always very cool, comfortable and refreshing, she leaves the home, there is chilled bottled water sitting in a bowl of ice with a note for us to help ourselves.  She has even left fresh baked cookies, and snacks, there is nice music playing, all the lights are on, the home smells nice, she even has the jets in the little spool going.  You know she wants to sell her home and wants you to enjoy and remember the time you spend there.  Because of this hospitality, and it is a lovely home, I have had clients want to try to make the house work for them, in large part because of how well she takes care of potential buyers and their agents.  I mean we would make an afternoon of it, if it were feasible, I have had my clients look through the home and the casita two, three times while we are there enjoying the hospitality, really looking at the home and enjoying the experience. 

 

Remember,  It is not just about staging the home with furniture, but staging the environment/atmosphere to make the potential buyer comfortable too.  Remember this please.  

 

Now of course if you are not in town, you cannot do this, but you or your agent can leave water in the refrigerator and at least make the inside of the home a little cooler than outside, or at the very, very, very least let the ceiling fans run on low and keep the hot air moving.  Besides I don't think it is good for a home, to let it be so hot for so long, doesn't' something happen to the wood in constant heat like we have here in Arizona??

 

Please know I'm not talking about situations where the homes are in foreclosure or a short sale where the seller is no longer living there.  That is a whole different situation and one expects and understands that it is not the best set of circumstances.

 

Well I feel better already!! Thanks for listening and I hope this information helps you or someone you know somewhere down the road to sell your/their home.