This picture is from the day we sold our house.  It was bittersweet - we were so happy to move on with the next chapter of our lives and sad to be leaving a wonderful home of seven years where we raised our family of 7 (2 kids weren't home for the photo).

The story behind selling our house was full of ups and downs. This was back in 2015. The market improved since the real estate bubble in 2009, but was still nothing like today. 

Like most people, we wanted top dollar for our biggest investment. With my 12 years of staging and marketing expertise, I knew I could showcase our house with perfect decorating, gorgeous photos and a custom website.

But then the unexpected happened. We received two offers in a 24 hour period! That’s what awesome staging & marketing does even if it’s NOT a seller’s market. This was back in 2015.

So what was the Big Mistake? 

At first, it seemed like everything was going great. I knew that my staging and marketing expertise would be the driving factor to sell our house and I was right. We were thrilled to have these 2 offers. BUT then the questions started rolling in and the mistake was a doozy.  

As you would expect, a multiple offer situation shifts the negotiating power to the seller considerably. But, we did not capitalize on the situation as well as we could have. There are many more factors to consider besides price and that's where things got a little hairy. The problem was we didn't have someone representing our best interests during that process.

To be honest - it was confusing dealing with back-up offers, inspection questions, uncertainty and there was a whole lot of stress.

BUT Yahoo! - we were saving on commission! That seemed great except for all the marketing expenses, legal paperwork, doubts, questions and other complicated decisions. Expert advice throughout the process would have been a huge help and made the transaction less stressful and potentially more profitable. Plus we still paid the buyer side of commission so the savings was minimal and not really worth the aggravation.

As you can see from the picture above, we still had our closing day, but it was a long and stressful 2 months.

Like all difficult experiences, we need to learn and grow from them so that’s exactly what I did. I knew I wanted to continue helping people with staging and marketing. For years I saw homes that were poorly staged and photographed and it made me sad for sellers. 

So, in 2018, I decided to pursue my real estate license, become proficient on the rest of the transaction and offer my services professionally. Since then, I’ve helped my clients achieve their goals plus more with 75% of my listings receiving multiple offers and selling for over asking price (e!

Many of us dream where our next home will be. For my family, it was buying a home with more land - we now have 25 acres in Greene just 10 minutes from our old house. Maybe your dream is to downsize, have less maintenance, move closer to family or finally live in a warmer climate.  Most people need to get the greatest return on their house to achieve that goal. This is why strategic marketing is so important for sellers.

If you have been toying with the idea of selling in 2024, even if you don’t know where you'd go yet, I would urge you to start getting your questions answered sooner rather than later. One of the most common things I hear from sellers is “I wish I called you sooner.” 

I invite you to call me to schedule a free consultation. I'll explain market stats, pricing, commission and the best strategies to prepare your house for top dollar. I am a lifelong Mainer with roots in Greene and selling experience from Brunswick to Auburn. 207-212-9935