When it came time for my husband and me to sell our house in Baltimore, we were nervous. We'd…read morelived in our house for 19 years, the house was over 120 years old with a basement that occasionally leaked, and if we're being honest, our neighborhood was probably still best labeled as "transitional." However, we'd put a good bit of money into the property over the years, and we were hoping - as everyone does - to get a return on our investment. We had a number in our brains but were terrified that we were laughably deluded with our hoped-for price. After all, when we bought the house, the price we paid had five digits. Yes, five.
We were hoping to sell our house for FIVE TIMES what we paid for it. Like I said: insane.
We interviewed a couple of agents based on recommendations from friends, and boy howdy did we choose well when we selected Jessica. She was absolutely perfect.
First, Jessica didn't bat an eye at our price, the age of the house, the neighborhood or the challenges. She understood our situation perfectly, and was extremely experienced with houses as old as ours and neighborhoods that looked like ours. She wasn't overly optimistic or full of useless platitudes but instead helped us to understand where that price fit within the other properties selling in our neighborhood. She let us know what other places had that we didn't (namely, central air and gleaming stainless-steel kitchens) but also what we had in our house that helped to support our price in a competitive market. Jessica was calm, practical, pragmatic. She let us make the decisions but was always there with rock-solid advice.
Likewise when it came to preparing the house for listing, Jessica was practical and experienced. She knew exactly what to fix (and what NOT to fix) and could explain why. Leaking basement? Leave it and declare it in the listing. Peeling paint and fluffy plaster? Repair, repair, repair. Repointing? Don't even consider it. Even better, she had a huge network of fantastic contractors she put us in touch with. I'm telling you, that alone makes her worth the choice! The contractor she recommended to us was better than any we had had in the 19 years we'd lived in the place! So, for a very modest price, we were able to get our house in beautiful shape and address all the cosmetic issues that could cause buyers to ask questions. And last, she helped us stage the house with our own furniture for further savings.
When we finally listed, Jessica had a well-oiled publicity machine that got our house the exposure we needed. Honestly, when we first discussed selling the house, my husband and I promised ourselves that we would take the long game and wait as long as it took for us to get the price we wanted. We were prepared to wait out the summer...or longer. It turns out our worries were unfounded.
Our house was on the market for three days.
Three.
Days.
In those three days, we had nearly a dozen showings, ending with an offer over asking price.
And Jessica's help and experience didn't end with the offer, either. The buyers were savvy and made significant requests during the contract negotiation. Jessica's advice was again invaluable, helping us figure out when to bend and when to stand firm. In one instance, she sent the best, most direct email to the buying agent, politely but firmly letting them know that her clients were WAY out on a limb with their requests. We could not have had a better advocate.
So in the end, from listing to closing, the sale of our 1890 Victorian rowhouse took just six weeks. And we ended up selling for $1,000 over our asking price and giving up only $5,000 in closing costs. Yes, we sold our house for $5,000 less than our OMG-wouldn't-it-be-great-I-really-hope-we're-not-crazy price.
I attribute that success entirely to Jessica and her team. Best. Agent. Ever.
