We've all heard stories this year of home owners who sold their listing within a day or even a few hours of putting their house on the market. Although it's very tempting for a home owner to accept the first strong offer that comes in, is this the right decision to make?

We would argue in many cases the right decision is to wait and allow more offers to come in before responding to the first buyer that writes an offer. The reason is competing offers are a seller's best friend. Sellers who negotiate with multiple buyers usually end up with a higher price and better terms than sellers who negotiate with just one. The hard part for some sellers is knowing how to attract competing offers in the first place. Here are four tips for making it happen. 

How

The October real estate market offers a window of opportunity for sellers who are still looking for the right buyer. Take a look at the graph below, which shows the number of Madison single family home accepted offers for each month in 2016. 

As the graph above shows, buyer activity typically increases in October before bottoming out in November and December. This means it's critical for sellers to get their listing priced properly right now. Sellers who find their buyer in October will avoid the slow holiday season and the need for a November or December price reduction. 

Pricing for the fall market

If you're still looking for the right buyer, we recommend working with your real estate agent to take a fresh look at the market in your area.

Although our low inventory market makes it possible to sell your home in any season, many home owners are planning their sale for next spring when buyers will be out in peak numbers. If your goal is to sell next spring, remember there's no substitute for planning and preparation. Take action on these 5 recommendations right now and you'll achieve great results in 2018. 

5 tips for a great 2018 listing

#1: Contact your real estate agent to find out what your home is worth. While you're at it, discuss the simple cosmetic improvements that will increase its value. Then re-assess your home's value when your projects are complete. 

#2: Consult with a professional home stager and implement her recommendations. We recommend Debbie Lea from Showcase

Competing offers are a seller's best friend. With multiple offers in hand, a seller has the psychological advantage and is in a great position to control the outcome of the negotiation and sale.   

In this article we cover why you should choose a listing plan that's designed to attract multiple offers. Here are the 4 main ways multiple offers will benefit your sale. 

4 advantages of multiple offers

#1: Competing offers give you leverage to negotiate the highest possible price. When buyers compete for your listing, you have the negotiation advantage. You'll get the highest market price when you negotiate with all parties and allow buyers to compete for your listing.  

#2: Multiple offers help you negotiate the best terms. Your odds of receiving

Documenting features and upgrades is a great way to demonstrate your home's value and justify your list price to buyers and appraisers. This 30 second video offers 3 quick tips to help you get started with the process. 

How we help you sell your home's features and upgrades

Once we have your list of upgrades, we'll use this information to create professional marketing materials for your listing. If your list of upgrades is extensive, we can create an itemized list similar to this one from a recent listing. 

Example of a "features sheet"

Another great marketing piece is our "features sheet". Our features sheet displays your home's key selling points alongside your professional photos to create an eye-catching promotional piece. 

Pricing a listing can be one of the trickiest parts of the home-selling experience, and it's very easy to get your pricing wrong if you rush through this part of the process. Over the years we've noticed a few relatively common mistakes that cause sellers to either over-price or under-price their listing. Here are 8 common mistakes to avoid as you go about the process of pricing your home. 

#1: Not taking seasonality into account

Time of year can have a big impact on a home's value. For instance, competing offers and bidding wars are most common in the springtime when buyers are out in droves. In the springtime it's easy to under-price a listing if the momentum of the market isn't taken into account. On the flip side it's easy to over-price in the

Over the years we've noticed some relatively common mistakes home owners make when putting their property up for sale. Unfortunately, each of these mistakes can cause a property to sit on the market and sell for well below its potential. Even worse are the emotional consequences that follow as a result. A bad listing experience can be emotionally draining and a huge source of anxiety and stress. 

The good news is all of these mistakes are preventable. You can avoid all of these common pitfalls by consulting with your agent well before you plan to list. Seek some proactive and professional guidance, and make the right choices that will lead to a successful sale.

Five Common Home Seller Mistakes

Below are 5 common pitfalls to avoid when selling

The National Association of REALTORS (NAR) has released it's 2017 Profile of Home Staging. The profile is based on a survey of several thousand agents and focuses on the impact of staging on the home selling process. 

Among the Key Findings:

• 77% of buyer agents say staging makes it easier for buyers to visualize a property as their future home
• 49% of buyer agents say staging a home increases the dollar amount offered
• 62% of listing agents say staging a home decreases the time on market

Other Interesting Data

The survey also reveals only 8% of real estate agents hire a professional to stage their listings. Our real estate team falls within that 8%. We hire Debbie Lea to stage our occupied homes and The Cozy Home to stage our

In addition to staging, there are 4 other low-cost, high-impact improvements that can dramatically increase your home's value and mass appeal. This 30 second video covers our top 4 home improvement tips.

12 Ways a Painter Can Help You Sell Your Home

Our #1 home improvement tip is to hire a professional painter to freshen up your home. Painting by a professional always pays for itself, usually many times over. Here are 12 ways a professional painter can add sparkle and value to your listing. 

1. Remove dated wallpaper and replace with a fresh coat of neutral paint. Kilim Beige from Sherwin Williams is a great all-around color for the purposes of selling a home. 
2. Replace bold colors with neutral colors that give your home more mass appeal. 

Our newest condo listing at 8237 Starr Grass Drive is off to an excellent start, thanks to stager, Debbie Lea, and photographer, Beau Meyer. Traffic has been very brisk and the feedback very positive during the first 4 days of the listing. We're looking forward to reviewing offers on Thursday, June 29th. Here's a little more info about this Midtown Commons condominium on Madison's west side. 

Photos & Features of 8237 Starr Grass Drive

This 2 bedroom/2.5 bathroom townhouse is value range priced from $185,000 to $195,000. The main level features 9' ceilings, upgraded flooring, and a gas fireplace with tile surround. 

An open concept dining area flows into the living room. 

A nice kitchen with breakfast bar, recessed lighting, and ample