Time and time again, I receive postcards in the mail from area Realtors exclaiming: SOLD IN THREE DAYS! SOLD WITH MULTIPLE OFFERS! SOLD ABOVE THE ORIGINAL ASKING PRICE! End of story. No explanation. The end result seems to be the only thing that matters.

My question is always: Aside from ripe market conditions for sellers, what made the home sell that way? More importantly, how can I ensure with my sellers that their homes sell that way in the future when the market is less favorable to the seller?

Often, when I begin working with a homeowner who wants to sell, the conversation starts by me presenting options from which to choose. There's the Easy Way, and there's the Hard Way.

The Easy Way requires very little effort to prepare the home for public consumption. Simply, send it down the runway with its flaws apparent. But price it accordingly, expect it may be judged with a harsh eye, and expect it to remain on the market a little longer than its peers with improvements.

The Hard Way often requires months of preparation, a variety of home improvements, out-of-pocket expenditures and a longer timeline to get the home active for sale on the market. The end result usually attracts multiple offers with escalations and fewer days on market.

I find most of my sellers - but certainly not all - elect the Hard Way, working in partnership with me to outline big picture items that need to be addressed to minimize deductions by the buying consumer. There is no single formula, but far more strategy, negotiation and hard work go into the end result than simply sold in 3 days!

If information is power, I'd like to help make you the most powerful consumer of real estate!

- Brett