by Susan Di Donato 
Just Sold!
About The Sale
Agent notes:
When we first met with our Emerson homeowner, she shared that there were a few agents she was considering for the sale of her property. She later told me that within 10 minutes of our meeting, she knew we were the right agents for her!
Did she make the right decision?
We toured the property and found that this small two-bedroom home was meticulously maintained and had some great features. It also had a few elements that could limit buyer interest. On the positive side, it had beautiful hardwood floors, a finished basement with a full bath, and a large detached garage with enough space for a workshop. However, there were two potential drawbacks: no direct access to the bathroom on the main level (it had Jack and Jill entrances from the two bedrooms), and the driveway was shared with the neighbors on the left.
The seller was realistic in thinking her home could potentially sell for approximately $575,000, but when asked what would make her happy, she said $600,000… or more!
In our search for comparable properties, we found that there were no two-bedroom homes for sale in Emerson, and that the highest price ever paid for a two-bedroom home was $600,000. Additionally, several small three-bedroom homes had recently sold between $540,000 and $560,000.
The challenge was on!
The home was clean and the property was well manicured and we knew our photos/video would come out great. We checked the weather forcast, booked the photographer, and set our marketing plan into action!
Besides listing on the MLS — which feeds into Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, Redfin, etc. — we developed property web pages for our digital marketing and printed 7,600 postcards to get the word out to the local area. We blasted out the listing on social media, to our extensive email list, and sent the postcards to every residential address in Emerson and Oradell, plus 2,087 addresses covering five mail routes in surrounding Westwood and Paramus neighborhoods. The listing was posted on a Tuesday, and our weekend open houses brought in dozens of groups, including our first offers, which came in on Sunday during our final open house! We presented the seller with several offers and discussed the pros and cons of each.
When all was said and done we went into attorney review with an offer of $625,000!
If we can get to closing, this will be the highest price ever received for a two bedroom home in Emerson! (Source: NJMLS)
When you’ve been a Realtor for over 23 years you know that there is still a long way to go from attorney review to closing. There are always inspection and mortgage contingencies to deal with. During attorney review buyers can change their minds and the seller may still receive offers. In judging the entire buyer package we felt that we had a very solid buyer. The buyer was being guided by an experienced agent and they had great family support. Before their offer they visited both open houses to make sure they understood the home they were bidding on. Throughout the process there were no major surprises and everyone worked towards the closing in good faith.
Before long we were at the final walk-through and the closing followed shortly after.
How did we do?
The seller was beyond thrilled with the outcome of the sale. Not only did we secure an offer well above her expectations, but we also navigated the entire process smoothly and professionally. From listing to closing, the seller felt confident that she had made the right choice in working with us, and we were equally pleased to have helped her achieve such a successful sale. It was a great partnership, and we couldn’t be happier for her as she closed this chapter and moved on to the next!