The Sale
Name: Lee and Jodi Bowen
The home: A five-bedroom, three-bath European-style home built in 1995.
Where: Cumming
Why they sold: They purchased a home in Florida in 2009 and thought they would be going back and forth to Atlanta, but they couldn’t resist the gorgeous weather and other amenities in the Sunshine State. “I didn’t really want to sell the house, so I told my wife, ‘We’ll list it at what we paid for it. I won’t take any less,’ ” said Lee, 50, who is retired. The couple had purchased the Cumming home in May 2007 for $299,900.
Time on market: About 230 days.
Original price: $299,900
Sale price: $299,900. “It used to always be if you didn’t make money on the house, something’s wrong. Well, to break even was doing something in this market,” Lee said.
What it took: The couple had the home on the market for about six months (from March to September 2010) with another agent before switching to work with Carolyn Hassel of Harry Norman, Realtors. She listed it on Oct. 5 and it went under contract on Nov. 24 (it closed on Dec. 29). Bowen credited Hassel’s marketing plan, which included hiring a professional photographer and hosting a “caravan,” or a tour specifically for area agents, for drawing buyers to the home. The Bowens also “bit the bullet” and got a new roof, which others in the neighborhood also had done due to hail damage from recent storms, Lee said.
Potential stumbling block: The home was the highest-priced listing in the Shiloh Creek neighborhood, which had average 2010 sales prices of $185,000-$223,000, Hassel said. Other downsides were that the house had a synthetic stucco front, polybutelyne pipes and was on a slab, Hassel said. The other challenge was that it was “over improved” for the subdivision, she said. The previous owned had added a four seasons room with a hot tub, a two-tiered deck, travertine tile throughout the main level, a 65-inch, built-in HDTV, and 20 speakers built into the ceilings. It also had a four-car garage.
Seller’s hint: Listen to the buyer’s extra requests. The buyer started out at less than asking price, but agreed to the asking price when the Bowens granted her request to include bedroom furniture and pieces that were on the screened porch.
