The Sale
Name: Chris and Paula Shiver
The home: A renovated three-bedroom, two-bath ranch home built in 1957.
Where: Atlanta's Dunwoody Forest neighborhood
Why they sold: The couple desired to move into a larger home now so their daughter, who is in first grade, could be established in a neighborhood with friends during her school years. They had their eye on a home in Dunwoody to purchase. "We made a decision that we would [list our home] and see what happens," said Paula, 43, who works in the dental industry. "We thought, well, if we put it on the market and it doesn't sell in two months, we will take it off."
Time on market: Eight days
Original price: $269,900
Sale price: $275,000
What it took: The couple was serious enough to make about $3,000 in changes before listing the house. Realtor Mary Baker with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage suggested they remove all personal photographs, clean out their closets and rearrange furniture to make it easier to enter rooms. They filled up a 16-foot storage pod with possessions and furniture such as a wine rack, cocktail table, accent chairs and a dresser. They also freshened up the landscaping and hired a contractor to pressure-wash the home and restain the deck. They received three offers in the first week, and they negotiated for $5,000 over asking price. Paula also credits the fact that she and Chris, 42, a network engineer, used their passion for photography to take a lot of photos of the home that were used in the listing.
Potential stumbling block: The timing. They were purchasing a short sale and were required to close on that home by April 30. Their original closing date for the home they were selling was May 15, but the buyers agreed to move it up. "We were so delighted," Paula said.
Seller's hint: Setting a realistic asking price is part of making a good first impression with buyers. "If you are priced high, they may walk off and forget about your home and not give it a second thought," Paula said. They had seen homes sit on the market for months and decided to price theirs for much lower than they would have in a stronger market. "We were pretty much trying to break even so we could have a chance to get into this house that we had fallen in love with."
