I took my own advice when it came time to sell my own home.

I purchased my new home before selling. If you don’t have cash reserves, there are several ways to finance this. To be sure the home was presented at its absolute best, I had the entire home professionally cleaned and staged. The upfront cost for this was made back more than ten times what I spent — and then some. I also added a fresh coat of paint and power washed the exterior. We hired a home inspector to do a pre-listing inspection. From this we decided to address items identified, so we could deliver a turnkey home to the next buyer.

I took advantage of the Compass Private Exclusive program to test a hopeful price. Based on the response from agents and potential buyers, I decided to list at an aggressive number. After the pre-marketing phase, I brought it to the MLS. In the midst of a hot seller’s market, the home showed so well that we achieved more than 23% over what I considered to be a high list price.

The result exceeded even my expectations and made for a less stressful experience. It reinforced what I tell my clients every day: preparation, presentation, pricing strategy, and pre-market positioning can dramatically impact the bottom line.

Sara Moyher-Pinkerton