Happy August!
You know how Real Estate Agent prepare listings from watching the Netflix show, "Selling Sunset."
We wear sexy clothes and stilettos, bring in designer staging, host glamorous events, and fight with our colleagues. The process is seamless and easy, with a little catfighting on the side.
Meanwhile, in Oakland, things are a bit different. Here are my top 10 favorite moments from preparing my new listing at 4844 Trinidad Ave, which is stunning. (Here's a quick video tour of the home.)
- A blue tape walkthrough where I ran out of blue tape.
- Picking up garbage left behind by the prep team- a kite string? Really?
- Blowing leaves off the top deck, realizing a broker was on the deck below.
- Asking a buyer, "Do you have a dog?" (because of the electronic dog door) and her responding, "No, I have a passport."
- Unsuccessfully trying to scrub scratches off the new deck with a nylon toothbrush.
- Driving up to a blocked street due to roadwork on the day of the Broker's Tour.
- Cleaning up spiderwebs that reincarnate overnight.
- Shopping for plants to add that "je ne sais quoi" and then trying to return the extra, only to forget the receipt.
- Tele-stalking vendors to bid on a deck repair.
- Asking my handyman to fix just "one more thing."
In truth, listing preparation is a complicated, nuanced process that requires a team of skilled specialists to get the home ready for showtime. And when the curtain goes up, I'm there to be the MC with jazz hands, not stilettos.
If you decide to sell your house in the Bay Area, read the article below on opportunities for investing in real estate abroad.
If you or someone you know is thinking of buying, selling, or investing in real estate, either in the US or abroad, I appreciate your referrals. Out of state or the country, we have a network of local experts whom I vet on your behalf.
Marissa
