Why Sell With Greg?
With over 20 years experience selling homes, I’m the right choice to list your Colorado home. I have had the privilege over that time to list and sell nearly every kind of home for private owners: from two bedroom bungalows all the way up to seven bedroom estates on acreage. Not just in good, but also in difficult markets. On top of that, I have sold hundreds of new homes for builder clients. Many of the builders that I have sold new homes for over the years have also entrusted their personal homes to me to list, market and sell. That is saying something, because builders can be among the most demanding clients. Both individuals and industry insiders have relied on me to perform at the high level of responsibility required by a residential real estate listing.
strong values and why they matter to sellers
The traits that drive the listing side of my company are integrity, communication and honesty. These are not just words; they are the foundation of effectively serving sellers. Do you really want to go with a company or agent that’s mostly a marketing machine for its own branding, and a few weeks into the listing realize that you were taken in with bells and whistles, and not much else? In stark contrast, I bypass the confusing and gimmicky approaches that are so prevalent in the industry with the higher goal of building something better. Integrity is all about objectively seeking the widest array of facts available in uncovering value for you. Communication means taking as much time as needed to relay those facts and thereby build a real partnership based on the goals you communicate. I do this both for your immediate sale, but just as importantly, the next home you want to buy. Honesty becomes the foundation of that outcome-based partnership in laying out an array of options, instead of a narrow proscribed path. I do business in this way because I trust your vision and life experience, always interacting with you based on mutual respect and courtesy. No one-line text responses when you need to know more. No waiting for a callback from me for so long that the reason you called is now yesterday’s frustration. No wondering how/why we priced it the way we did, or whether there’s already a plan to handle most any scenario we may encounter. There is.
Nimble footprint, not a lumbering battleship
I am a sole real estate agent with unstoppable energy and passion for my chosen profession. I manage my practice, from technical items to writing all the content on this site, from paperwork, to all client actions. Therefore, my head is fully in the game, and my overhead is low. This provides me with the opportunity to be highly competitive on commissions. I do not have to rely on a team member to ensure my processes are solid or that my clients are effectively and respectfully served. Most importantly, your home is not just another listing to me. I value every listing as I value my livelihood, because it is. Teams talk a lot about synergies and specialization and all that. They have to blab a lot because their vulnerabilities in business can often exceed the benefits. I should know; I spent my time in a team environment. You meet the mega-agent one time, at listing, then you generally have the ‘pleasure’ of dealing with subordinates from that point forward. Is that bad? Who knows? But it is not ideal, and I do know that if I were selling my home, I’d seek something more organic. That’s why I choose to remain independent and take amazing care of my friends and clients. Here’s a pledge that I’ve always offered. If you list with me and are unhappy with my performance at any time, we’ll honestly talk about and explore the situation to resolve the issue, whatever it was. Or I will cancel the list agreement at no obligation or charge to you.
Marketing Your Home
Selling in Denver, Colorado springs or Castle Rock? I combine the latest in technology with a proven track record. See what Greg Tomlinson does differently, and better.
Where does your home stand on possible pricing?
The market in Colorado Springs is really heating up. Denver’s market has been hot for coming up on two years. What does all this mean for you? Where does your home stand and is now a good time to make that move, or hold off? Answering these questions requires good information. Check out this primer on getting a Comparative Market Analysis.
CLOSING Costs
Closing costs are one of the most significant items that can impact the seller’s net from the sale of a home. The good news is that sellers typically have a much smaller group of charges to pay than a buyer generally does. In a listing appointment, I come prepared to give the seller a very good estimate of what those numbers will probably look like, and scenarios that might have an impact up or down. We strategize to control at least some of those costs, rather than just assume it will all fall into place. While many of the costs can’t be altered, perhaps the largest single one is seller concessions, or, in other words, seller paid costs that assist the buyer in being able to close. The following paragraph explains more about how this works.
To ensure a good transaction, it is imperative for an agent and their seller client to have a detailed conversation about both seller and buyer closing costs in Colorado. At least part of this conversation actually should begin as early as arriving at the list price for the home. Why? Because, in most price points, buyers who are using loans for their purchase will almost always ask for the seller to pay some or all of their closing costs in any offer! Therefore, how can a pricing strategy for listing a home not include a plan for responding to this situation, one that will present itself 80% of the time? The plan is not that a seller automatically pay all the buyer’s closing costs; the plan is to be ready to answer in the best manner to preserve a chance at successful negotiation. A wise strategy might be to price in some portion of buyer closing costs, without taking it too far. And you guessed it, in strong seller markets such as the current one, average seller-paid closing costs for the buyer have decreased. However, they will probably never go completely away, because many buyers simply can’t buy without some assistance from the seller. There are ways to address this reality, often without additional cost to the seller.
what I should do to my home to prepare for selling?
The sharpest homes do sell first, no doubt. While it might not be justifiable to rip out baths and remodel, I highly recommend that everything present is at least in good working order. On the other hand, I have seen some sellers over invest or over prepare for a sale. Obviously, the key here is understanding the relationship between your area and an item you are considering in the context of getting those dollars back. But there is much more to it than that. Depending on the home, some small to medium sized things may be advisable, even if they are just a break-even. This can be true especially if an item or upgrade is all but standard in competing homes. I have tons of experience here. Please also know that it is against my philosophy to burden a homeowner with needless repairs and upgrades.
Guides on the internet can be very helpful in predicting returns on many updates, but they can’t possibly factor in the uniqueness of a given neighborhood or age/style of a specific home. In my career, I have seen some agents miss it badly in this area of advising what work to do or not do. They might focus way too much on staging, then turn around and give a seller bad advise on some improvement. It really is all about experience and having a background in both up and down markets, plus knowing the construction as I do. There should also be a rational justification for anything costing more than a few hundred dollars. In the end, this area is subjective and all about opinions. So if something someone recommends seems a little odd, follow your instincts and get a second opinion.
I can also be a powerful source of information on what things home inspectors are likely to address, as well as the manner in which some frequently documented items might play in the mind of a prospective buyer. While I am not a home inspector, I am a firm believer in a homeowner being prepared for some of the most common and predictable items. Knowledge is after all, power. Call me for a free consult today, regardless of when you are listing.
However, we don’t want to neglect the important area of staging and de-cluttering. How far do you need to go? What is enough? What is the minimum needed to keep your property competitive with others? What’s the maximum? The sooner you know these answers, the better and less expensively you can prepare. Again, call me.
