Roswell town home snags buyer in less than a week
Names: Jon and Nancy Putman
The home: A town home built in 2003 with three bedrooms, two full baths and two half baths
Where: Roswell's Views at Coleman Village
Why they sold: The couple bought the home in 2012 to be closer to their children and grandchildren, who live in Roswell. Jon, a chief financial officer for a steel company, was trying to commute from Atlanta to Fort Worth, Texas, but it was difficult, and the couple was not used to spending time apart, Nancy said. Their agents, Donna Murphy and Ann Sander with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby's International Realty, told the Putmans they were confident the town home would sell because of the Roswell location, how quickly other town homes were moving off the market and the improvements made by the couple. If the real estate agents had told them it wasn't a good market, they would not have attempted to sell, Nancy said.
Time on market: 4 days
Original price: $195,000
Sale price: $185,000
What it took: The couple had replaced all the faucets and repainted all three levels, including adding a turquoise accent wall on the middle level that freshened up the home, Nancy said. A new grill and fresh flowers made the deck appear inviting to potential buyers. In the kitchen, they had installed a new stainless steel refrigerator. All those changes were made before they decided to sell, but they made the town home more appealing, Nancy said. The town home also had hardwood floors and a one-car garage.
She adds that the agents were go-getters who responded immediately to potential buyers’ requests to view the home. The agents also rearranged pictures and moved around a few items to stage the home because Nancy was headed back to Fort Worth when the property officially went on the market.
Potential stumbling block: The timing could have been an issue, but it was the right time to sell and even worked out around the holidays. Nancy had planned to spend all of December in Roswell with her family. The buyers were willing to delay the closing until January. "We didn't even know if we should do this or not," she said. "I said, 'OK, I'm just going to say by Jan. 7 our house will be sold and we'll be living in Fort Worth. By Jan. 3, we were out of there."
Seller's hint: Paint the home, which shows buyers you have taken time to update the property and to make it look its best.
