One morning I was on my way to an appointment for a dress fitting when the seamstress called and said she was running about 30 minutes behind that if I had any errands to run that I could do so first.
Of course my morning was clear so I decided to stop off at the mall and do a little window shopping. While I was passing one of my regular stores I see a sign that says, “free tote, with minimum purchase of $50” Well logically I knew there was nothing I actually needed to buy from this store but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to look, besides I was just trying to kill some time.
Plus if I did find anything I might “need” I could possibly get a free tote! That’s what got me hooked. Naturally, once inside, there was plenty of stuff I found that I needed (wink wink) and I just happen to spend $50 so I also got the free tote.
After that little spree it got me thinking, could it be that easy? Just by giving away a free tote people would come in and spend $50, that they may not have even thought to spend simply because they were throwing in something for FREE! Could this same thing work in a home purchase?
Well, there is a lot of data and research out there regarding what makes people buy. In my opinion throwing in some extra’s may not be the sole reason your home sells quicker but it definitely couldn’t hurt.
If your home has been sitting on the market a little longer than you would like or your not getting as close to the asking price as you would like, look at throwing in a little something extra to sweeten the deal. There are tons of options out there, but a few are: covering the buyer’s closing costs, including the curtains especially if the home has custom windows or some furniture in the agreement (if they are in good condition), or even throwing in a home warranty. Also talk to your agent about including this into the description of the home in the marketing material to peak buyers interest.
Nicole Surber is a Broker of Record for RealEstateAuctions.com in the California counties of Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Tuolomne, Mono and Mariposa. Contact Nicole for information about Central California real estate auctions by calling 209-556-8018 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
