Selling Our Destin Florida Home – A Realtor’s Story– Part 5 Conclusion

Having found the perfect home in Bluewater Bay, now it was time to sell my house in Destin Florida. (For explanation of why I did this in reverse, see Should We Sell or Buy First? ). I decided the best way to “show” my home was without us living in there. Plus, I have three precious cats, what a nightmare to round them up prior to any showing! My husband and I decided to move most of our things out and live in the digs he had prior to our marriage, while our new home was being remodeled by Beukenkamp Building Group (future blog). One week after my back surgery, we packed up most of the house, but left items that would help stage the home. The living room, dining room set and some paintings remained. Since the carpet was beat up from years of cat-abuse, I had them replaced with a neutral and “in” carpet for a reasonable price. We had minor repairs done. The home was then deep cleaned. It looked great!

So, I listed my Destin home in the MLS and did all the normal and extensive marketing I do for all my listings. I wrote a custom blog, made a visual tour, blasted my Destin Florida listing on social media platforms, like Facebook, Google+, Twitter, syndicated the listing to about 100 different sites, such as Craigslist, Realbird, etc. The home was shown, a lot.

Each time there was a showing I would email the agent for feedback: “Hi! Thank you for showing my home. How did it go? Do you have any questions about the property? Price and condition compared to others? Offer forthcoming?” As a “homeowner”, the answers to these questions meant a lot. I was a basket case. I would overanalyze every feedback comment, dumb or not, and I am sure I drove the buyers’ agents nuts.

“What do you mean the master bedroom not on the first floor is a problem?” “If it’s so beautiful, why aren’t they writing an offer?” “Huh? Far from the beach? It’s only a four minute walk.” Since Crystal Beach in Destin Florida is not a normal “suburban” market, there was a strange mix of buyers. Some were looking at houses AND condos. Others wanted a rental property. Very few wanted a full time residence, which is how we had used the home.

Finally, after about 110 days on the market, we got “the offer”! It was great-  after a little negotiation, we were sold! The time on the market had felt more like six months to me. I had wondered if the home would ever sell. I kept asking myself, “Wendy, what would you tell your seller who got positive feedback and a good number of showings?” “Chill out!” That was the hard part, I couldn’t.

What did I learn from this selling adventure? I am fairly empathetic with my buyers and sellers already. Now, I am more so. With gentle kindness, a little good humor, and a lot of patience, I am ready to guide them through their own adventure of selling and buying real estate on the Emerald Coast.

It’s Wendy!

Wendy Rulnick, Broker, Rulnick Realty, Inc.
Call toll-free 1-877-487-9639 or local 850-650-7883 ext 204
Email Wendy: [email protected]