All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go
I know a house that is oh so pretty. She lives down the street and is always dressed to the hilt. Her hair and make-up are impecable and servants cater to her constantly; bringing fresh flowers, tidying her yard and redressing her linens. Yet, for all her beauty, nobody comes to visit and no-one has made her their own. Why? Beneath the facade, she is a snob. Her price and appearance are pretentious and people have come to know her as unfriendly and unwelcoming. She has an air of conceit. She thinks she is all that and a box of Godiva. She is 
empty and all alone but for the flair of some expertly placed decor and lotsa bling. So, she sits and waits, ignorant of her own image. Her insistance on maintaining a false presence of superiority has earned her a reputation equivalent to a lonely spinster. She is bitter, proud and a little too self-righteous. In truth, she doesn’t need a new do or another nip tuck. What she needs is a good therapist; an attitude adjustment, and I know just the guy!
Enter Glenn Kelman, guru of real estate reform, master of sensibility; the epitome of smart, honest, plain and simple. On Friday, the Today Show featured Kelman and the first publication of The Real Estate Scientist, Redfin’s own “Seven Tactics for Selling a Home: A Data-Driven Approach for Home Sellers.” This paper is, as the subtitle indicates, different than other advice out there. It is not opinionated or fancy. It is an observation of factual statistics laid out in a straight forward, easy to implement fashion with practical applications any seller can realistically implement with a minimum of effort or skill. Now, let’s face it, anytime there are discussions of best ways to sell a home, there are all kinds of fluff and foolery. Conversations quickly veer towards dressing, staging, facelifting, fresh clean looks, cookies in the oven, fire in the fireplace, kids frolicking in the neighborhood, potpourri and fresh hand towels. These gimmicks might invite a brief courtship but they are not the foundation of best practices. It’s not that Redfin discounts the importance of appearances, after all, first impressions are lasting ones. But we believe buyers look deeper. The “Seven Tactics” is about underlying intelligence. It is about being an educated seller and understanding how simple mistakes can cost you in the long run. It’s about working the numbers and employing street smarts in an electronic society. It’s about bucking an antiquated way of doing things and increasing your odds in a highly competitive market. This is a must read for buyers and sellers alike. It costs nothing, will delight you with its simplicity and will hopefully reap great rewards. Good luck all…let us know how you do!
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