How to boost your sales in the 1st quarter of changing brokerages

“We think that speed doesn’t always achieve the highest possible sales price; speed does not guarantee the best results for the seller,” said Jones.

Typically their open houses attract 25 to 30 sets of buyers on each day the property is held open to the public, but some of the best buyers make appointments to get in prior to the open houses.

“We don’t aim to have 100 people visit in one hour — it shrinks the house,” said Jones.

Put buyers at their ease by not rushing the selling process

“We wholeheartedly believe that a buyer who is more at ease will make a better offer. To help achieve this state, we slow the process down by advertising well in advance of the first showings,” said Jones.

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“Our properties are intentionally on the market twice as long as our competitors’, who seem to wrap up a sale to the first person who walks in the door.”

This way, when the buyers schedule their first visit, they are already familiar with the neighborhood, floor plans and specifications of the property. They have time to schedule an inspection and visit with contractors or architects if they expect to renovate.

The agents suggest that a buyer bring a book and sit on the couch for a while. A final visit is usually just to relax and think about the space, maybe in the evening or early morning.

“At 54 Porter, we asked for $1,125,000 and had several offers, resulting in a fantastic selling price just over $1.4 million,” Jones said.

“The momentum carries from one sold property to the next — this is what we achieved here; if the market is with us, let’s improve on that result.”

It’s a “good story” to tell, he said.

“And because we are working in such a geographically and numerically small market, typically the sellers and the buyers know the just-sold properties, and they can appreciate the properties’ characteristics and selling price in relationship with those of the new offering,” added Petrowsky.

“We are preparing all of our properties very carefully — we are staging them, getting them freshened up, eliminating clutter as well as oversized pieces, so that everything is straightforward, clear, uncrowded. I know that the property will sell, but I want it to sell for the magic number. We want our properties to glow,” he said.

He gives the example of a recent sale where the house was radically stripped down, shedding the decor that the artist-collector owner had added.

The fascinating works would have “ultimately distracted the buyers,” contended Petrowsky.

“Aesthetically, it’s about focusing on the space and the way the stuff relates to the space, that drives our professional photographers to capture the best photos. In the end, presentation is a major component of our success,” said Petrowsky.

Added Jones: “A simple thing I have learned from John is that light equals money. When you walk into a house you can see it in the clients’ eyes — they walk in, see a bright space filled with energy, and they themselves become energetic and excited.  You know that you are going to achieve good results.”

The ‘international’ Cambridge real estate market

The Cambridge agents are marketing to a very sophisticated international buyer base.

A client might be a high-tech executive for Google or a software designer, yet they might still cherish antique houses. “There is a dazzling array of people, said Petrowsky.

Many are MIT or Harvard faculty coming from all over the world, and they don’t all want the same thing.

Fortunately Cambridge, a small city with a little over 100,000 people, has a variety of real estate, from 18th-century houses to state-of-the-art glass-and-steel towers.

“One can walk down a Cambridge street and think that the layouts of three-deckers and townhouses are uniform and predictable. Anything but!” said Petrowsky.

“And it’s a lot of fun to work here — we try to shape each property, each product, to appeal to its broadest audience. We don’t assume that it will appeal to a limited sector, but rather to as varied an audience as exists in the city.”

The team is helping clients with decisions about how to add value to their real estate assets and will be building their team with people who have some of these skills.

Help long-term clients with renovation plans

“We are working with clients who purchased a classic two-family in a superb neighborhood and are converting it to a single-family residence,” said Jones. “We have helped many future sellers shape their residences to their own styles and tastes, at the same time that we keep an eye on utility and enhancing the value of the real estate.

“Renovation costs can be very high in this area, and we spend a good deal of time helping clients explore all of their options with contractors,” he added.

“We are also talking to past clients to understand how we can best serve their needs. Selling and buying are sometimes just pieces of the process of downsizing. We have clients who end up needing advice on investment property, vacation homes, starter homes for their children, investments for their children to occupy while they pursue post-graduate degrees and so on.

Meanwhile, how is the second quarter looking? The Petrowsky Jones Group is optimistic.

“We are working with folks new to us, as well as to the Compass brand, on properties ranging from the $300,000s to more than $3 million,” said Jones.

Email Gill South.