Serving Austin Texas & Surrounding Areas
Three Pillars Realty Austin Texas

SETTING NEW RECORDS IN SOFTER MARKETS

"Here are the facts ... Ryan had our house under contract in less than 48 hours. We had 20+ showings in two and a half days and there were 6 offers on our house – all of them were over the asking price. Many of the Realtors commented on how the house was “priced perfectly” thanks to Ryan’s advice. I followed all of Ryan’s suggestions for showing and staging the house, and the results are obvious. Ryan had our house professionally photographed and the response to the photos was overwhelmingly complementary. As the offers rolled in, Ryan summarized all the conditions and terms into insightful and easy-to-understand language. Ryan was easy to communicate with and made the selling of our house extremely easy. We felt that we were in very competent, professional hands!” 
Admittedly, I blushed a little bit after receiving an alert for this glowing online review left by Shelley, a recent seller-client. She and her husband Dave put their home on the market in December. As you know, it’s common perception that winter is one of the worst times of the year to try and sell. 

Our results? 

Nothing short of spectacular.

Their home set a new record for sales price, compared similar homes in their neighborhood. This just further proves the point that you that when you take a value-driven investment approach to selling real estate, you can often throw conventional wisdom out the window.

I’ll get into the details about how we did it in a second but first, let me rewind the tape a little bit ...

I met Dave way back in the spring of 2010. At the time of our introduction, Dave had recently relocated from Florida to Austin. He was project manager for a commercial construction company and had about five months remaining on a short-term apartment lease.

A really nice guy and pretty unassuming, Dave and I hit it off quickly. 

With limited knowledge of Austin and the local real estate market, Dave was looking to me as his guide, to steer him in the right direction. We discussed some potential neighborhoods, namely the Circle C area in Southwest Austin.

Dave’s search began in earnest later that summer, while he still had plenty of time on his lease. It was 2010. Remember those days when homes stayed on the market for longer than 48 hours? Without the added pressure of a here-today-gone-tomorrow scenario, I’d venture to guess that we looked at about 20 homes over a two to three week span.

He finally scored a great deal on a limestone single story with nice greenbelt views. It was less than two years old, in a community that was still being built out, at the time. The seller was having difficulty competing with the buyer incentives offered from the existing homebuilders.

We were able to negotiate a purchase price that was less than what the owner bought it for just 20 months prior. Dave was thrilled, to say the least. 

Fast-forward almost five years and one morning an email came through. 

The subject read: Getting Back in Touch 

". . . it’s been a great house but my job is going to be relocating me back to Florida again early next year. I’m wondering if you are interested in sitting down and chatting about the options for getting my house on the market. Let me know when you are available next week."

When I show up to consult with a client on their listing and they meet me at the front door with a smile and a spiral notebook, I take that as a good sign they are ready to “go to work.” 

And that’s important.

That’s exactly how Shelley greeted me the first time we met at the house. She and Dave married a few years after he arrived in Austin and I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to greet her in person.

They caught me up on the details surrounding their need to move. Both were originally from Florida and still had a lot of close family in Florida. So naturally, when the opportunity presented itself for Dave to transfer back to the sunshine state, it was a no brainer for both of them.

Dave was officially starting work there in February but they both agreed that the sooner they were able to wrap things up in Austin, the more freedom and flexibility they would have to find the right house in Florida.

In today’s market, especially in an area like Southwest Austin, we could have simply taken a “just throw the sign in the front yard” approach and they still would have made a nice little profit. That said, I’m yet to find a seller who, once educated on our approach, prefers to do the bare minimum and leave a good chunk of money on the table.

I’m yet to find a seller who, once educated on our approach, prefers to do the bare minimum and leave a good chunk of money on the table.

Although sadly, many homeowners either through their own naivety or a lack of initiative from the Realtor they choose to partner with, do just that. They fail to take the proper steps to maximize the value of their asset. The homeowner, knowing no different, ends up treating their home as a commodity. In doing so, they often forfeit thousands and sometimes tens of thousands of dollars, in potential profit.

Shelley, notebook in hand, walked me through the entire house. I provided suggestions for presentation geared toward maximizing their investment & profit. I was impressed with the work they’d done to the house during their stretch as owners. The kind of work that always pays off.

The question was never IF the property would sell or how quickly, it was how far could we push the market – in December.

I laid out what I felt was their best course of action. We discussed staging and pricing strategy. We followed the steps of the documented approach. The photographer was scheduled. The pre-listing marketing begun, to start creating a buzz and gathering an interest list.

When the work was done and the house was showcase ready, we listed in MLS on a Thursday morning. Less than 48 hours later, the interest was overwhelming. Originally planning to “give it through the weekend,” we amended our strategy when six above-asking-price offers rolled in by Friday at 5pm.

Planning to ‘give it through the weekend,’ we amended our strategy when six above-asking-price offers rolled in by Friday at 5pm.

Could we have held out for another 2-3 offers? Perhaps but we're not a fan of the slow-play tactics that many other agents use. A strong, well-positioned and qualified buyer is something to be taken seriously. Fortunately, our clients agreed. We were able to secure a contract significantly over the original asking price.

It was a total team-effort. Real estate transactions only go as smoothly as the commitment of all parties involved. Our team was great and the Realtor working with the buyers on this deal did a fantastic job representing his clients as well. 

It was a true win-win.

Recently, I got a chance to check in with Dave and Shelly to see how they were settling in to their new home in Florida. Turns out they were able to find a comparable house and ended up paying less than Dave did for his home in Austin 5-6 years ago. Sounds like they have this real estate game licked! Then again, I’m not surprised.

Savvy owners get it. 

They understand that maximum profit doesn’t just happen, it must be engineered from step one.

ARE YOU READY TO MAXIMIZE YOUR PROFIT?

 Request a Complete Property Diagnosis So We Can Help You Determine the Best Prescription To Increase Your ROI.

Are You . . .
Looking to Sell?

At Three Pillars Realty, we offer options depending upon what you value most in the transaction.  

EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS:

Option #1: Maximize Speed
Option #2: Maximize ROI

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
Helping Sellers On The Move
"Ryan listed my property on the MLS on a Wednesday morning. By noon the next day, my dilemma was deciding which over-asking price offer I was going to accept. That was a fun problem. I know I’ll never have to stress about real estate in Austin, Texas because Ryan France is on the mound!"
Lauren Neil-Jeffrey
HOME SELLER
"Ryan was the perfect Realtor for us. His advice on staging our vacant house was the most important reason it sold quickly. The sale of our home was a pretty complicated process. Ryan’s patience, honesty and straight-forward attitude were key in seeing this complex processes through."
Ankur Jain
HOME SELLER
"Once my house sold (above asking), I got a call from Ryan asking if I had a favorite charity for which he could make a donation to commemorate the sale. I was slightly taken aback ... then I realized that I shouldn’t be surprised at all. Not only is Ryan a good Realtor, he’s an even better human being."
Dale Blandin
HOME SELLER
"Ryan displayed complete professionalism and was always prepared. His skill at marketing was superb! The house was under contract within a week of listing! He knew where to focus efforts for the best results and he is very detail-oriented. I highly recommend him."
Luke Childress
HOME SELLER
"Ryan and his team were very helpful in making my condo stand out and sell quickly. He was proactive & effective in his communications. I always knew what to expect and where we were in the process. Ryan is the consummate
professional. You will be in good hands."
Laura Tomlinson
HOME SELLER
"Ryan had our house under contract in less than 48 hours, with 6 offers. Many of the Realtors commented on how the house was “staged and priced perfectly” thanks to Ryan’s advice. Ryan was extremely easy to communicate with and made the process of selling of our house as easy as possible."
Shelly Weathers
HOME SELLER
HELPFUL LINKS
BROKER CONTACT INFO
TEXAS REAL ESTATE BROKER #9004679
  •  512-773-3493
  •  Ryan@RyanFrance.com
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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - THREE PILLARS REALTY  
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