We recently came across a few published articles that made us pause and reflect on the experiences that you as a seller may be facing in this current market. We know first hand this year has been a series of ups and downs with the ever-changing interest rates and muted inventory, but we also know that a key pillar to our team’s success has been to stick to our proven processes no matter what kind of market we’re in. If we have not had the pleasure of working with just yet, you may be wondering what that means. First, we’ll share what we learned this week through those articles, we’ll dive into the questions this poses for us, and we’ll share why you as a seller should expect more.
The Headlines This Week
A recent agent survey by RealTrends showed that when it comes to Q3 of 2023, real estate agents, and by extension, their buyers and sellers are finally getting the hang of the current interest rates. Interestingly the survey revealed that they’re actually feeling better about the upcoming months in the third quarter of 2023 than they were about Q2. When asked how they’re seeing the housing market in the next three months, almost half of them (that’s 47%) were feeling pretty positive compared to 44% back in the Q2 2023 AgentPulse survey.
In this same survey, sent to over 19,000 agents across the country it was also revealed that agents are “getting creative” to make business happen in Q3. Agents reported knocking on more doors, hosting more unique open-house events, and simply trying to connect more.
Similarly, another eye-catching article published by Inman reported agents are “dusting off trusted techniques” and “meeting the moment with creativity”.
With two similar headlines in the same week, we scratched our heads a bit and had to pose some questions. At The Bree Hughes Team, we understand the market is going to be what the market wants to be. Sure, there are going to be various factors that push and pull it in certain directions, but saving “creativity” for the downward times is not the answer. We expect better for our clients.
Here’s Our Take
Our point isn’t to poke at two articles and dampen the reported optimistic mood of our fellow agents, our point is to simply raise the bar and educate our clients. We question, why has the time for creativity when it comes to selling homes and meeting the needs of our clients just now become a newsworthy trend? Don’t all clients across the country deserve to work with a seasoned professional that pulls out all the stops when going to market, and not just when the housing market is “down”? If you’re not aligned with an agent that has a proven marketing process, are you leaving too much to chance?
What we know at The Bree Hughes Team is that process is everything. In our process, this includes studying the current market trends and data day in and day out. It means paying attention to current values and their trends over time so that we can provide an educated and strategic pricing and marketing approach. It also means connecting one on one with our fellow agents to keep a pulse on our community and know any and all potential off-market deals available for our clients (this includes buyers and sellers).
Our proven process works because we’ve spent years perfecting our craft, and we don’t save “out of the box” or “creative ideas” for the hard times. Instead, we put those ideas into play for our sellers every time because they are simply a natural part of our recipe.
A Recipe for Success
Take for example the process of an award-winning baker baking their most famous cake. Do you think this baker is going to forget what the perfect ratios of sugar to flour to butter etc. are in their famous recipe? Absolutely not! Sure, the request for a flavor change may come every once in a while (like shifting from working in a Summer real estate market versus a Fall market) but in the end, if they are a true professional of their craft – they will have a process for baking that cake with the key ingredients that delivers what the crowd wants every time.
This is the bar we set as your real estate advisors. Whatever market we find ourselves in, we exceed our seller’s expectations because we don’t pick and choose what ingredients to add. Our recipe for success is proven. It delivers, so we stick to it, and the marketing creativity that those surveyed are now turning their attention to has always been naturally baked in.
322 West Avenida Gaviota
For our interested sellers out there, here’s a look at how we work.
322 West Avenida Gaviota was a property previously listed with another agent at a lower price point. This architecturally magnificent home was put on the market with the belief that it would sell itself. When the home continued to sit on the market with no end in sight the sellers knew it was time for a change and contacted us.
Our team doesn’t rely on beauty to sell. Instead, we invested time in understanding the property and developing a narrative to properly tell its story. We prepped and staged the home, and most importantly collaborated with the home’s architect Jim Glover. We knew if we could capture Jim’s side of the story we could captivate an audience intrigued by the home’s beginnings and evolution.
This resulted in a mini feature film with Jim sharing the very intricate details of the home and had the exact effect on potential buyers we had envisioned. In addition to the film, we created a custom book showcasing the history and development of 322 West Avenida Gaviota for visitors to take a seat at the coffee table and experience the build for themselves.
In the end, we received six offers and sold for six figures above asking. This was the highest recorded sale in Southwest San Clemente (excluding the Shore/Cottons gate). No matter how exquisite a home may be, properties do not simply sell themselves.
While this type of approach may be labeled as “getting creative”, for The Bree Hughes Team it’s just a taste of the process that delivers results for our sellers.
In Conclusion
Real estate markets are going to continue to fluctuate, so align yourself with a team that is committed to driving results for you. Your most valuable asset deserves to be presented as a must-have luxury product. We understand this, and we refuse to simply put a home on the market with the hopes that it will sell itself. We don’t save the creativity for the hard times, we bring the creativity every time. So if you’re ready for that white glove, elevated experience, give us a call. We look forward to exceeding your expectations.