Three Steps To Selling Your Lake Chelan Home For Top Dollar

Real Estate

Oct 16

Written By

Pricing, Presentation, and Promotion

Timing is everything in life. The adage is especially true when selling your home. Three elements need to converge on listing day: right price, right presentation, and right promotion. Bring these together and buyers will come running. Here are three steps to start the stampede.

STEP 1:PRICING - Know your Market

We have two distinct types of properties at Lake Chelan: “Lake Effect” and “Non-Lake Effect” properties.

"Lake Effect" homes allow their owners to see, touch, or walk to Lake Chelan. Examples include all waterfront homes, all view properties on both north and south shores, community waterfront properties, and sections of downtown Manson and Chelan.

Conversely, if a home owner can’t see, touch, or walk to the Lake, their home is in the “Non-Lake Effect” market. Examples include neighborhoods east of Chelan such as Suncrest, sections of the Manson Basin, and properties in the foothills of the North Shore.

Lake Effect properties are fueled by the amazing volumes of money flowing from Seattle. It seems at times that the sky is the limit for home prices desired by Puget Sound buyers.

Non-lake properties follow a bit more of a sane value curve. Their values are tied to what people can afford locally. And affordability is tied to local wages.

Is your home a Lake or Non-Lake Effect property? Having a keen and practical understanding of this question is the first step to selling your home for top dollar.

STEP 2:PRESENTATION - Create a ‘Model Home’

Have you ever taken a tour of a model home in a new neighborhood? Model homes are clean, clutter-free, and cohesive in their colors and furnishings.

Step two is to transform your home into a model home by creating these “Three C’s” - clean, clutter-free, and cohesive - in your home.

This is a tall order I realize. Your home may be thirty years old and never remodeled. Your home may be full of things you’ve collected over decades. A complete home makeover likely is not in the cards.

But even the roughest of spaces can be cleaned up, de-cluttered, and accented with a new pillow or two. It will take time, effort, and typically a small financial investment. But these investments more than pay for themselves.

This is the area that is best tackled when time is on your side. Do you want to sell your home next year? Start now to purge and primp.

STEP 3:PROMOTION - Maximize Online Appeal

Finally, we come to my favorite step - promoting your home online.

In this internet age, online appeal is the new curb appeal. Certainly, your home needs to wow a buyer as they get out of their car. But it is the online appeal that gets the buyer to your address.

My checklist for maximizing online appeal is robust. It starts with professional photography, it extends through aerial photography and video, and for high-end properties, it includes 3-D walkthroughs and custom websites. All of these elements should then be promoted aggressively through social media campaigns.

Make sure your Realtor has used professional photography on their current or sold listings. Make sure your Realtor has an active presence on social media platforms.

Make sure your Realtor can write an engaging narrative about your home.

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

Bringing the Pricing, Presentation, and Promotion together on your home’s list day will ensure a successful sale. Buyers will recognize the value in the price. They will feel the attractiveness of the presentation. And they will come to your home first because of its skillful presentation.