Getting out of your comfort zone...

I had an interesting experience this week. One of my clients suggested a significant price reduction on his home with the provision that we post the price on the sign outside the home. I must admit, in my 20+ years of experience, I only remember seeing this once.

A subdivision was being developed and a number of builders were all competing for the available buyers. One of the builders was known for building a considerable square footage at a reasonable price. He painted the price of the home on the upstairs window so all the buyers cruising the area would know the price at which they could purchase his home. I am not sure how effective it was, but I remember the tactic after all these years.

Upon consideration of my clients suggestion, knowing this market is all about price, I prepared a custom rider with the price and added it to the sign. Over the weekend I had the opportunity to show it to a buyer client I was working with. The new price brought it into their price range and the private back yard put it on their "dream list." I told them there was something unique about the marketing of this home...they noticed it immediately as we drove up. Their comments were very positive about knowing the price without making phone calls, consulting the internet, calling their Realtor.

The home was shown four times over the weekend. A neighbor called who was shocked a the difference between the initial and reduced price. The sign is doing what we were hoping for. It is getting attention...will it get the home sold? Time will tell. It is, however, about the willingness to try something new...do something different, the necessity of the Realtor and client working together to get the job done. I will let you know how this works out!