The Three Horses (Houses)

On selling houses and telling the truth

A man at the marina tried to sell me a fishing boat once. He talked about leather seats. Premium sound. I asked about the engine. Could it get me where the fish were. Could it bring me back when the storms came in from the Gulf. He looked at me like I was stupid.

That is how most people sell houses. They sell the wrong thing to the wrong people. They lie to themselves first. Then they lie to everyone else.

I have sold houses for twenty years on this coast. I have learned there are three kinds of houses. Like horses. Each good for something different. Sell a workhorse like a racehorse and you will lose. Every time.

The Workhorse House

The workhorse house does its job. It keeps the rain out. The air conditioning works. The roof does not leak when the hurricanes come. These houses were built in the seventies and eighties mostly. Some ranch style homes in Niceville. Split levels near the base where the Air Force families live.

They are not pretty houses. Not ugly either. Just honest. The kitchens have enough counter space. The bedrooms fit beds. The yards are big enough for children and dogs. The mortgage payments will not kill you.

There was a house on Partin Drive that sat empty for six months. The owner had spent thirty thousand dollars on granite counters and fancy lights. Priced it like a showpiece. Wrong move. When they finally listened to sense and priced it like the solid family home it was, a young sergeant from the base bought it in three weeks. He told his agent he loved that he could afford the payments and still take his wife to dinner sometimes.

The workhorse house sells itself if you let it.

The Show Horse House

Some houses are made to be looked at. They photograph well. Make people stop their cars and stare. New construction in Bluewater Bay with those tall ceilings that echo when you walk through empty. Historic houses downtown that someone spent a fortune fixing up just right.

These houses sell dreams. The dream of having something beautiful. Something other people will envy. The kitchens cost more than most people make in a year. The bathrooms look like hotels where movie stars stay.

Show horse houses need show horse marketing. Good photographs. Professional staging. A price that says this is special. Do not apologize for what it costs. Beauty costs money. Always has.

There was a doctor's house in town that sat on the market for four months. Every room looked like it came from a magazine. The first agent took pictures with his phone. Described it like any other house. When they switched agents and got it photographed properly, it sold in two weeks to a couple from New Orleans who drove up just to see it.

The Money Horse House

Then there are the houses that cost serious money. Waterfront on the bay. Golf course lots where you can see the greens from your breakfast table. Houses with docks that can tie up a yacht. These houses are not for everyone. They are not supposed to be.

Money horse buyers have money. They also have expectations. They expect the best because they can afford the best. They do not want a bargain. They want what money can buy.

There is a bayfront house that was listed as "nice water views" last year. Nice water views. The house sat on two acres with a private dock and you could see clear to Pensacola on a good day. The listing made it sound like a retirement condo. When the owners got smart and called it what it was - luxury waterfront estate with deep water dock - it sold to a retired airline pilot who had been looking for exactly that house for two years.

Knowing What You Have

Most people do not know what kind of house they own. They think every house should sell like a movie star's mansion. Or they think their beautiful house should sell cheap because they are humble people.

Both ways lose money.

But there is something worse than not knowing what type of house you have. Not knowing what condition it is in.

Walk through your house like a buyer would. Look at everything. The roof. The air conditioning. The plumbing. The electrical. That crack in the foundation wall you have been ignoring. The water stain on the ceiling from last hurricane season.

Write it all down. Every flaw. Every problem. Every thing that needs fixing.

Because the buyer will find it during inspection. They always do. And when they find something you did not tell them about, something changes. They start to wonder what else you are hiding. What else is wrong that they have not found yet.

Suspicion kills deals faster than termites kill houses.

Tell them everything up front. Price the house honest with the problems included. Let them decide if they want it anyway. Most will. Especially if the price is fair and they trust you told them the truth.

I have seen good deals die because the seller hid a leaky pipe. I have seen bad houses sell quick because the seller was honest about every flaw.

Look at what sold near you in the last six months. Look at the prices. That tells you what kind of neighborhood you live in. Workhorses live with workhorses mostly. Show horses with show horses. Money horses stand alone usually.

Look at your house honest. What would someone pay extra for. The big garage and the fenced yard. That is workhorse territory. The marble counters and the crown molding. Show horse features. The water view and the private gate. Money horse all the way.

Do not lie to yourself about what you have. Do not lie about what condition it is in. The market will not lie back.

The Truth About Selling

People think selling a house costs a fortune. They think they need to spend thousands on upgrades. Paint everything. Replace everything. Stage everything like a hotel.

Not true.

You do not have to overpay to sell any house. Workhorse. Show horse. Money horse. Does not matter. What matters is knowing what you have. Marketing to the right buyer. Pricing it honest.

The workhorse house sells when you find the family that wants solid and reliable. They do not care about granite counters. They care about a good roof and fair payments.

The show horse sells when you find the buyer who wants beautiful. They will pay for beautiful if you show them beautiful properly.

The money horse sells when you find the buyer with money who wants the best. They expect to pay premium. Do not disappoint them with discount marketing.

The secret is making the buyer happy they found your house. Not making them settle for it. When they are happy they found it they pay what it is worth.

In twenty years I have learned this. Every house has a buyer. The trick is not fooling the wrong buyer into looking. The trick is getting the right buyer to find you.

Your workhorse house will sell to people who work for a living and want value for their money. Do not try to convince them they need imported tile. They want to know the roof is good and the payments are fair.

Your show horse will sell to people who want something special. Something that makes them feel good about where they live. Do not hide what makes it beautiful behind modest descriptions.

Your money horse will sell to people who have money and want to spend it on the best. Do not apologize for charging what it is worth.

The fastest sale comes from telling the truth about what you are selling. To the people who want to buy it.

I can help you figure out what kind of horse you have. I can help you tell the truth about it in a way that sells. But I will not help you lie about what you own. Lies take too long to sell. And they usually sell for less money.

After twenty years the market has taught me to tell the truth. It pays better.

Call if you want to know what kind of house you really have. And what it will take to sell it honest.

Licensed Florida REALTOR® | Almost Twenty Years on the Emerald Coast