The One That One Wouldn’t Sell

**104 Fiddler Crab Lane**

The Problem

We encountered this Seller when he was showing his home FSBO and we were representing a prospective buyer (who ultimately purchased another home). The Seller elected to sell it himself because four previous agents had been unsuccessful despite several price cuts. And he didn't see that much was happening beyond a yard sign and placement of his property in the MLS. His home was beautiful and incredibly well-maintained and updated. We knew we could sell it.

Details

How long it had been on the market before you took over

- 830 Days

Number of agents they used before you

- 4, including 1 FSBO

Year Home Sold

- 2018 - 2019

Selling Price

- $740,000

Solution

We perceived there were three major issues that were keeping the property from selling:

Floorplan
Exterior Color
Marketing that missed KEY selling features

We staged the home to make the floorplan make more sense to buyers. For example, the dining room was being used by the homeowners as a study. We converted it back to a formal dining room. The home had a lot of brown and beige that we neutralized by adding area rugs and color.

For exterior color, we had the home pressure washed, which made the color appear fresher. We took photos at different times (bright morning sun and twilight) and elected to use the twilight photos, which showcased the homes beautiful exterior lighting while minimizing the canary yellow color and it was a fresh look for the main photo in the MLS to get people who had likely seen it before to give it another look.

And lastly, and most importantly, we took drone photos and showcased the fact that the home was across the street from the Intracoastal, had a fantastic view of the Intracoastal and downtown skyline from the master, and was near the community marina. We placed these photos at the front of the listing, rather than at the end where potential buyers are less likely to click-through. This allowed us to market the home as offering resort-style living with it's heated in-ground pool and the ability to walk across the street and onto your boat. We also RAISED THE PRICE! The full value of the property wasn't getting conveyed to prospective buyers. We raised the price from $787,500 to $799,000.

We also held one of our Sunset Soireés: These are essentially casual cocktail party open houses where we invite our sphere of influence, 600+ local agents and brokers, and the Sellers invite their friends, family, and neighbors. These events have gained a following in town among the movers and shakers--who doesn't enjoy free food and beverages in a beautiful home admiring a waterfront sunset? These events give our sellers lots of feedback on the home, its presentation and pricing, and help spread the word around the community.

This house was under contract in 52 days from the time it hit the MLS and it had a back-up contract 6 days after that.

Results

We live in Las Vegas and have been trying to sell our house in Pelican Reef, a prestigious waterfront neighborhood, for 3 years. For 3 years it was in multiple MLS listings, all the best real estate publications, online in every realty site, in international publications and was presented by different realtors with professional photos, marketing plans and advertising. For 3 years it was on the market and did not generate reasonable offers. It sold recently, utilizing Team Territo realtors. Matt and Gretchen Territo’s skill and understanding of buyer behavior and their market generated multiple offers for us.

Matt & Gretchen Territo offer so much more than most real estate agents. They were direct, honest, creative and understood how to sell a property rather than waiting for the property to sell itself. They did not rely on the old and hackneyed “Let me show you our book and what we’ll do for you” lines.

Gretchen tapped into buyer desires with very creative and beautiful staging of the property. They held many open houses and were present for each one, allowing the buyers to “feel” the life style it offered, guiding them with their in-depth knowledge of the property, the neighborhood and the greater St. Augustine and Palm Coast living.

Matt was a contractor and was able to attend to every property detail, repair or contractor interaction without our involvement. He saved us money, time and ulcers taking care of the place for us. We sat comfortably and confidently in Las Vegas, knowing we were in excellent hands with Team Territo, who took care of our property in our absence, addressed any issues that may have arisen, worked diligently and competently to market and sell this beautiful property.

We are generally not fans of realtors. We believe it is an industry with low barriers to entry and one that does not require more than mediocre skills and a good market to be successful in. Matt and Gretchen have proven to be the exception to that rule for us. Skilled, creative, communicative, courteous, knowledgeable, industrious, focused and reliable, we cannot recommend them more highly.

We commend Matt and Gretchen Territo to you without reservation. Should you need more than the usual, more than “mediocre”, more than run-of-the-mill representation, if you are tired of hearing other realtors tell you how wonderful they are, how skilled they are and how great they perform , give Matt and Gretchen a call.

If you have questions or doubts with respect to engaging them, we would be happy to answer any questions you may have about representation by the Territos of St Augustine Real Estate Company. Matt or Gretchen can provide you with our contact information as you may require.
Chuck & Elizabeth Steinell
April, 2019