Name: Bharti Desai
The home: A four-bedroom, two-bath home built in 1989
Where: Marietta
Why she sold
Bharti Desai, a CPA, put her rental property in Marietta up for sale because because the market had turned in favor of sellers, she said. She originally tried to sell the home in 2009, but then decided to rent it. “We tried to sell it for three or four months, but we could not sell it,” said Desai. “It took probably a year before we were able to find some renters to rent the house.”
Time on the market: 9 weeks
Original price: $365,000
Sale price: $344,000
What it took
Desai did extensive renovations before putting the home in the Princeton Mill community on the market. She spent about $45,000 to update the interior and exterior paint, make over the kitchen and add hardwood flooring throughout the house.
Staging the home was a key element in expediting the sale. Desai hired a staging company to make her home look like a model in order to help potential buyers visualize themselves in the house. The staging company provided furniture and added decorations and accents throughout the home.
Potential stumbling block
Desai had originally enlisted one of her clients to be her real estate agent. Her client had a full-time job and only did real estate work on the side. Because of this, Desai said she felt the agent was unable to give her full attention to selling the home. The home sat on the market for six weeks without an offer.
“She tried her best,” said Desai. “She had a full-time job, but this was just her part-time hobby.”
The first agent took pictures of the home herself, and the photos did not translate well to the Internet, Desai said. After six weeks, Desai hired Tania MacLeod from Harry Norman, Realtors. Macleod’s first suggestion was to stage the home. Another challenge was the lack of a back deck, MacLeod said. Since many buyers are looking for an area to grill and entertain outside, they staged the sunroom and a grilling area out back. The home went under contract three weeks later and spent a total of 40 days on the market with MacLeod.
“She knows how to market the property the proper way,” said Desai.
Seller’s hint
Find an agent who has plenty of time to focus on selling your house, Desai said.
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