Name: Marykay Marchman, 71, a former systems engineer for IBM
The home: A three-bedroom, two-bath ranch home built in 1968
Where: Smyrna's Legend Park neighborhood
Why she sold: Marchman, who purchased the home in 1997, wanted to sell the house for several years to move closer to her family in St. Louis. She procrastinated until a friend recommended she meet with Julie Miller, a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Atlanta North.
Time on market: 22 days
Original price: $269,000
Sale price: $261,000
What it took: Miller recommended items, such as fixing leaky faucets, cleaning the carpet and screening in the porch, that Marchman needed to address. Her agent also provided names of contractors, painters, photographers, stagers and others who could assist her. She spent about $5,000 fixing up the home. "Every single thing that needed to be done, she would supply me with a good person to do it and the phone numbers," Marchman said. "It was so amazing. She would tell me things I would need to do and supply me with everything I need to do it."
Miller often called Marchman to see if she had arranged to get the work done. “She just stayed on my case,” Marchman said. “I never knew there was so much involved in selling the house.”
When Marchman needed someone to rid the attic of squirrels and clean the septic tank, which popped up during the inspection, Miller brought in those professionals too. “The whole experience was so surprising and pleasant. I really felt like a pampered princess through the whole thing. That really had to do with Julie spoiling me to death,” Marchman said.
Potential stumbling block: Her street was a cut-through for regular traffic traveling to I-285 as well as emergency vehicles heading to Emory-Adventist Hospital in Smyrna, she said. While the street could draw buyers (it's how Marchman found the home in 1997), the busy location also could be a drawback.
Seller's hint: Placing a "Coming Soon" sign in the yard before the home officially hit on the market was a clever way for her real estate agent to draw attention to the home, Marchman said. Three open houses were scheduled in a short period of time. When Marchman arrived home, she saw that Miller had placed notes touting features, such as kitchen cabinet shelves that slide out, to make buyers aware of the home's special touches.
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