Port Angeles Home Seller Gets Creative

A Port Angeles home owner is getting creative to sell his home overlooking the International waters of Freshwater Bay just west of Port Angeles.  What is he doing to motivate buyers to discover why his home is so unique and incredible?

Anthony Gomez is a bachelor with 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, and 3,680 square feet on three levels.  He says, “It’s time to downscale.  I don’t need a house this big, but I do love watching the ships go by and seeing the lights of Victoria at night.”

Because the buyers for Anthony’s home are most likely from out of the area, such as the Seattle-Bellevue-Redmond area, or Arizona or California, Anthony is offering a 3-night stay at no cost to potential buyers who are qualified to purchase a home in this price range.  “It’s like a bed and breakfast idea, only I won’t be serving breakfast,” says Anthony with a smile.

Why offer a 3-night stay?  Anthony’s argument is that if buyers could actually see the view of International waters and the shipping lanes between the deck of his home and the beaches of Canada, which are only 15 miles away, and if they could see the lights of Victoria at night across the water, they would get a sense of how extraordinary this property is.

Anthony is also offering potential buyers who stay a professionally guided bus tour of the area.  This is above and beyond, but it may take something as creative as Anthony’s approach to capture the attention of potential buyers from out of state.

 

The property is 3.19 acres, carefully pruned and trimmed to perfection, because that is what Anthony does for a living.  The custom home has 3 levels with a 4th level of one room, a perch with the highest view set up to be a reading room.  The first floor has it’s own complete apartment, also with a custom built kitchen.  Even on the first floor there is a gorgeous water view, and since the house sits back from the water with only one lot between it and the bluff, the panoramic water view is a real 3-D version.

Anthony hired a Realtor who has the same kind of creative spirit, and together they are doing things virtually unheard of in Clallam County.  His broker is Chuck Marunde of Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC.  Because this house is priced at $749,999, it is in the upper price range for homes in the county, and Anthony’s frustration was that locals may not understand the value this home offers, especially for people in California who would understand what an extraordinary view and location this property offers.

Anthony’s enthusiasm to sell his home to the right person and his frustration with marketing is evident.  “I get it.  The market is down.  But some advised me to just keep dropping the price until it sold.  That just didn’t make any sense to me.  If buyers from California or Arizona don’t know about my home, to keep dropping the price would just be foolish.  In California this home would be worth up to $3 million or more.  In the right location, a lot more.  I have always felt that it is a matter of connecting with the right buyer, not ratcheting the price down until I can give it away.”

Anthony’s broker agrees.  “For a home so incredible, you can’t just hope to post it in the MLS and run a few little ads in the local print newspaper.  First, that approach isn’t selling homes in any price range as effectively as it did five and ten years ago, and secondly, promoting a luxury home like this is a matter of making a connection with the right buyer who is most likely living in California, and who can see the value and who can afford a home in this price range,” says Chuck Marunde.

To accomplish this, Anthony and Chuck work as a team.  “I always think that listing a home is a team effort between the Realtor and the home owner,” says Chuck.  The team approach is unique, because they have divided responsibilities in order to maximize the effectiveness of the marketing and the costs.  Anthony will hold his own open houses, and he will pay for his own out of state advertising in key locations his broker has identified as hot spots for buyers.  Chuck has posted Anthony’s home in the local multiple listing service (MLS) and created multiple web pages dedicated to this home.  (Chuck also has several Internet marketing secrets he was not willing to reveal.)

Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC has the largest Internet presence of any real estate broker in all of Clallam County.  That’s important because the Internet appears to be the single most powerful tool to reach buyers in today’s market.  Since over 80% of all home buyers start their search for a home on the Internet according to the National Association of Realtors, the best place to connect with buyers is in cyberspace.  Chuck explained in some detail how it works.

It’s not as easy as it may sound.  Creating a powerful Internet presence is a huge challenge.  You’ve got to bring together three main elements, which most brokers have not been able to do.

First, you’ve got to have a knowledge of real estate that includes years of experience.  Only then do you have the material to write articles on the Internet that are relevent to buyers and sellers.  People know if you’re making things up or just drooling at the computer.  Knowledge and experience are critical.

Second, you’ve got to have the technical know how or technical experts to create the platform or the presence on the Internet, and that includes excellent navigation, graphics, and search engine optimization.

Third, you need good writing and good scripts.  Nothing sells unless you can communicate articulately and effectively.  Part of this process is reaching out to touch on the very subjects and issues that buyers and sellers have in mind. If any one of these components is missing or poorly done, the result is failure to connect with buyers from out of state.

The other service that attracted Anthony to Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate, LLC was the commission structure.  “I like that my broker didn’t get greedy on me.  He offered the best commission schedule of any broker I talked to.  The total commission is only 3.5%, and if an agent other than Chuck sells the home, that agent gets 2.5%, which is a good commission on $749,999.  Chuck would only take a 1.0% commission.  But if Chuck lists and sells, he will reduce the total commission to 2.0%.  No one else offered to do this.”

The selling agent will get a bonus of $5,000 in addition to the 2.5% commission.  This is meant to motivate Realtors to show this home to their prospective buyers.

It remains to be seen how this creative marketing turns out, but Anthony is clearly very enthusiastic about it.

To see more photos of this unique home, go to: Freshwater Bay Water View Home For Sale

To learn more about Anthony’s broker, go to Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate Blog or his site SequimPortAngeles.com.