For the uninitiated Southerner, it might seem that Minneapolis is an awfully cold place. So cold that a real estate agent would be hard-pressed to find much business in the dead of winter, right? Wrong. Contrary to what you might think, business continues to boom in the Twin Cities despite the snow. Broker/salesman Steve Westmark of Counselor Realty in Minneapolis laughs when asked this question. It strikes him as rather absurd, in fact. "I sold four this weekend," he says. "We have no problem." The Twin Cities are certainly doing well these days, not only in terms of real estate sales, but also the overall health of the regional economy. So while frequent snowstorms might be a daunting prospect for those of us who spend the majority of our days soaking up the sun's rays, it seems that in the Twin Cities, agents and relocators alike simply push the snow aside and keep house-hunting. And according to Westmark, the rewards of being based here are plenty.

Westmark has an eye for detail. In the real estate business since 1973, he's constructed a list of 162 selling points -- some as minor as cleaning the fingerprints from your windows -- that can make or break a sale. While these helpful reminders certainly aim to help the seller, Westmark has a strong commitment to buyer representation. He's the author of a 60-page buyers' book that explains Minnesota real estate in detail. He recently spoke to AgentNews and passed along a few tips, which, while they might have been sitting right underneath our noses, remind us why we seek out agents in the first place.

A.N.: Why is it that your winters don't seem to deter any buyers and sellers?
S.W.: We have snowplows. It snowed 6 inches here yesterday, and you'd never know it today. The roads are clear. A bad storm might slow things down for a couple of days, but the holiday season is the only reason things slow down a bit during December and early January. We had one storm in October 1991 -- it was Halloween -- that shut us down for a week because we didn't see it coming at that time of year. We had 2 feet of snow in one day, and we weren't ready. Winter runs from December through February here. Then the snow melts.

A.N.: With the regional economy in such good health, do corporate relocators comprise a good chunk of your client base?
S.W.: About 30 percent are corporate relocators. We have lots of move-up and first-time buyers, too. We've got the highest per-capita Fortune 500 base in the country. There's many universities, too. With both education and business, we're generating stronger incomes, as well as a desire for more education. We might pay higher taxes here for services like snow removal -- everyone's driving around here today like we didn't have snow yesterday -- but we have a high quality of life that makes it worthwhile.

A.N.: What are your first-time buyers looking for?
S.W.: Lots of them are going after townhouses. They're new and fresh ... no hassle involved. If it's a first-time buyer couple with a child or children, then they're looking for houses. I work on the west side where there's mostly newer properties. The city [Minneapolis] area -- the downtown area -- has a lot of houses built during the 1940s and 1950s that are well-maintained and more affordable for first-time buyers. We've got a very active downtown, and that's what drives a lot of first-timers there.

A.N.: You say that it's critical that sellers "stage" their homes for the sale. Can you give us a few examples?
S.W.: The points that are particularly important are to keep things light and bright, keep the clutter to a minimum, and go for a neutral decor. And wash your windows. If your windows aren't clean, you've got low-watt bulbs on, and you've got lots of clutter -- you collect things on the counters and in the bedroom -- that makes a difference. You can generate a huge increase in the amount of money you're going to get for your home by simply washing your windows and decreasing the clutter. I was in a house this week with yellow wallpaper, and I told the owner to paint the walls white. I also saw a house with mauve carpeting -- popular during the '80s -- and I told the owner to replace it with beige. For a matter of $1,000 to $1,500, you'll make $5,000.

A.N.: What is the seller's greatest responsibility?
S.W.: Price your house properly, stage it properly, and pick a good Realtor. If you do the first two things and have a lousy agent, you won't sell your house.

A.N.: What's the single most important point of the 162 staging points you've compiled? What's considered the kiss of death for sellers to overlook?
S.W.: You want to appeal to the five senses. If the house doesn't smell good, for example, you'll have trouble. Or you might need to change something visually. If the house is near a major freeway, and it's noisy, put your stereo on, or put up something to obstruct the noise from the traffic. And pay attention to the temperature of your house, especially if you're one of those people who keeps your air conditioner on 80 degrees during the summer to save money. When you're showing your house, keep it on 70 degrees. People have been out in the heat all day, and it's welcoming to come into a cool house. And appeal to buyers' sense of taste. Put cookies on your table -- a morsel of some kind. This has nothing to do with buying a house, but it does give ambiance. It's positive reinforcement.

A.N.: You call buyer representation the "buzz word of the '90s. Why is buyer representation so critical?
S.W.: In the '80s -- and before then -- our fiduciary relationship was to the seller -- to get them as much as we could for their houses. It was in the Realtors' code of ethics. After all, sellers were the ones paying our commissions. Buyers thought they were being represented, but they weren't. Who was getting buyers the lowest prices possible? Buyer representation is still a fairly recent concept. Until the last five years or so, not every state was familiar with the concept -- especially some of the major states in the east. I'd speak about buyer representation at a conference, and it would go right over people's heads. And I've almost never had a buyer who said he or she didn't want representation. In about 98 percent to 99 percent of cases, buyers want representation and go into a contract with a Realtor. Buyer representation helps buyers understand market value, any material problems of the property, taxing, financing ... there's all kinds of things involved in real estate transactions that can be little traps.

A.N.: You recommend that sellers ask prospective agents what type of marketing approach they plan on using to sell their homes. What type of approach should sellers be looking for? From what type or types of approaches should they run screaming?
S.W.: Ask the agent what type of market -- which niche market -- your house fits into, and where that agent plans to be marketing your house. A house for between $150,000 and $200,000 in this area, for example, would probably be marketed to an empty-nester population. So you wouldn't want the agent to be marketing your home in yuppie, downtown-type magazines. I hear complaints that agents aren't marketing their clients' properties or don't do the follow-up on the showings that do occur. Or they're not looking for innovation. They don't put things on the Internet because they're scared, or they don't put brochures and marketing pieces together. They just use MLS listings on sheets and make multiple copies. That's just the quick way of looking at things. I recommend that people look at agents' marketing materials and ask themselves if it makes them want to learn more if it just makes them feel neutral.
The seller should ask the agent for his or her marketing plan for the house and ask them what they're going to do. The agent should have at least 10 to 15 points on that list. If the agent doesn't have a plan, or if they say they do but it's not in writing -- or if the agent scribbles the plan on a piece of paper -- the seller should run.

A.N.: Are most agents using these marketing plans, in your opinion?
S.W.: I'd say that more than 50 percent of them -- and that's a conservative estimate -- do not have marketing plans. The average agent sells 10 properties a year -- that's less than one per month. You can't make a living at that.

A.N.: Does this all go back to that saying that 20 percent of the agents are doing 80 percent of the business?
S.W.: Yes. Seventy percent of agents don't have personal computers; they rely on their office computers or brokers' computers. The successful 20 percent are the ones with the marketing plans, who are using innovative techniques.
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The following 30 staging points come from Westmark's list of 162 points. Check out Westmark's Web site for information on how to obtain the others.

• Driveway: potholes patched
• Kitchen: clear countertops
• Living room: furniture arranged to show space
• Dining room: curtains washed and ironed; tablecloth fresh
• Children's room: unused toys cleared out; floor free from clutter; draperies open to show view
• Basement (when applicable): no musty odors; floor swept; cold water pipes covered; handrail secure
• Garage: tools stored neatly on pegboard; oil spots removed from floor; workbench area well-lit; excess storage removed
• Bathroom(s): sink stains removed; recently painted; new shower curtain; all supplies stored; guest towels out
• Bedroom(s): night table supplies stored; large pieces stored elsewhere
• Entrance hall: door recently painted; threshold painted; hinges oiled; rugs cleaned and secure; closet light operating; closet cleaned out; floors cleaned

Published: January 29, 1998

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