Simple is beautiful. Simple is easy. Simple is just the way things should be – especially when it comes to one of the most – if not the most stressful things ever… selling your home.
We want to let you in on the Scoop; there’s a magical program that brings joy and peace to the land of real estate. It’s called the Market Ready program and we are more than ready for it.
Our friends at Helen Adams Realty (HAR) explain why they developed it, how it works wonders and goes beyond the numbers to help make selling your home as stress-free as possible and for top dollar.
What is the Market Ready Program?
The Market Ready program allows clients to leverage the equity in their home. The HAR agent also deals directly with vendors to make the necessary upgrades. At the time of closing – any upfront costs supported by HAR is then ‘paid back’ with no fees or interest.
- Sellers can ‘borrow’ up to $30,000 per client, interest-free
- Funds are used for upfront improvements, repairs and renovations
- The HAR agent coordinates with vendors who are not only proven and trusted in their trade, but show-up on time, do great work and prioritize clients and projects in the program.
How is this possible?
“Smaller firms might not be able to incur the short-term cash outlay, and the large firms can’t do it as effectively or efficiently,” says Frank Adams, Co-President at Helen Adams Realty. “Being family-owned and locally operated with a four-office footprint puts us in an unmatched position where we can operate nimbly while also accessing and providing a deep bench of resources.”
Market Ready Addresses Two Things
- Allows the seller to make hassle-free home upgrades before listing, knowing that homes in ‘parade ready’ condition, result in faster sales at higher prices.
- Helps sellers receive the highest possible price for their homes and assists buyers in purchasing updated and move-in-ready homes.
“Our goal is to be the best possible business partner for our agents and offer the highest level in everything we do,” says Rebecca Adams Starrs, Co-President, Helen Adams Realty, “We are constantly looking for solutions to support them and, in turn, their clients. In addition to a suite of cutting-edge technology and marketing, we are very proud to be able to offer this as a modern solution to our agents and clients.”
Wait, So This is the Fairy Godmother of Selling Your House?
Pretty much…
Since the program’s initial rollout in April 2022, Helen Adams Realty has worked with more than 130 homeowners and deployed nearly $1.5 million of capital.
REALTOR® Kelly Ellis Hare says “Once clients hear about it, it’s almost a no-brainer. You can spend a little, but make A LOT more. I’ve had clients who have borrowed and spent $30K in repairs and they got over $100K return on their investment. And, I’m not coming to you every week saying ‘I need a check.’ I’m handling the repairs and negotiations and dealing with the contractors, etc. which is a huge burden lifted from the seller.”
Sprinkling some pixie dust on the process means that both sellers’ and buyers’ minds are put at ease.
Sellers know that their HAR agent is managing all of the details to get the property ready for the market – which for many homeowners rapidly becomes a full-time job that they do not have time for – while buyers get to fall in love, see the possibilities of the new space, and know that any work done is of the highest professional grade.
“It’s a pretty easy conversation. Most sellers understand that the condition of their home directly correlates with the price they will get. But a lot of sellers are not comfortable with the output of cash to do the things we recommend. Or, they’re on the fence about spending thousands to prep their home for market. When we’re able to tell them that we believe these things are so important that we’re willing to front the cost and get paid back at closing, they’re usually all ears,” says REALTOR® Amy Gamble.
REALTOR® Sherrie Andrews agrees with Amy saying of her experience “The Market Ready program most certainly benefits my clients which in turn benefits me. I offer guidance on which improvements are needed and provide vendors and trade recommendations to do the necessary updates, meaning my value is not only as a trusted advisor but also as someone who can take the lead in coordinating the work. I am more than happy to take the lead on this for my clients that are most times overwhelmed with decisions during the selling process.”
What Do Sellers Usually Use the Program for?
Rebecca says “There is no true ‘type’ as can be seen by the projects we’ve done – everything from complete cleanouts (think: decluttering and estate sales) to more minor things like pressure washing. If a home has been well-loved and lived in, odds are it needs some level of work done. Doing that work will get the seller a higher sales price than as-is condition.”
Something we all have in common: Wanting the opportunity for our house to show beautifully and get top dollar; the Market Ready program does just that and it’s easier to coordinate than you can imagine.
Common Market Ready Projects:
- Painting (especially kitchen cabinet refreshes)
- Flooring (repairs, replacements, refinishes)
- Deep clean, including windows
- Landscaping refresh
- Fixture and hardware updates
Is the Program Right for You?
Selling your house is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make – you want to do it right, and you need to be guided by an expert Realtor that has the resources and the support of a team behind them.
The program is for anyone with solid equity in their home who either doesn’t have enough liquid capital, for example it could be tied up in a downpayment on a new home, or wants to avoid touching their capital.
“With the Market Ready Program, sellers can leave their savings and income-yielding accounts untouched, leverage our (HAR) capital, and simply pay us back out of the proceeds at closing,” says Rebecca.
HAR has not turned down a Market Ready application to date.
Benefit to Buyers
The program is also good for buyers. Knowing they are getting a great deal and exceptional vendor-verified work is invaluable when considering making an offer and feeling good about their purchase.
“Buyers still want to fall in love when they walk in the front door. You’re not going to be able to get top dollar if they don’t. They also don’t want to think about moving in and immediately having to put money into the house,” says Kelly.
“I find that every home can benefit from the Market Ready Program, even newer homes can use the program to pay for staging,” adds REALTOR® Annette Semprit.
Vendors Value the Program Too
As many of us have experienced, it is sometimes hard to get a contractor to call you back for a quote – let alone get great work done efficiently.
“The vendors I use have been vendors I have used throughout the span of my career. We worked together before Market Ready, and they’re happy to accept payment from HAR versus from the individual homeowner. One vendor in particular waives their requirement to pay for materials in advance because they know with Market Ready, they are guaranteed payment,” says Annette.
Receiving top-notch work in a timely manner is one of the biggest benefits of the trusted and established relationship between vendors and HAR agents.
For example, Kelly shares “Because I have used certain contractors so many times, that has created tremendous loyalty. One time I had a listing where the wrong countertop went in. I noticed it that evening and by the following day, the GC had his guys out there ripping out the countertop and replacing it the very next day. No charge, no questions asked.”
Market Ready Gets Results
The proof is in the sale. From the number of offers received to the number of days on market, time and again the Market Ready program has delivered.
Sherrie says “All of the properties I have used this program for have sold very quickly and most have had multiple offers. The feedback from buyers every time is how attractive and appealing the home is and how they can imagine themselves living in this home. That’s a winning strategy every time!”
You also know you’ve have a unique and winning formula when buyers, sellers, agents and contractors are aligned.
“The very first time I used it, it was for a widowed man who had three kids and he was overwhelmed. Didn’t want to deal with it.” Kelly continues “He wanted to sell the house as-is, but I knew he’d be leaving a lot of money on the table. In this particular instance, the seller would have been lucky to get $800k for the house as it was. By spending $30K on upgrades, he got $1.170M – almost $300K more.”
Come Home With a Program That Works for Everyone
Annette sums it up best saying “I had one client who really wanted to make updates to their home to prepare it for market, but all of their available cash was tied up in a new home purchase. When I mentioned the Market Ready program I could see a visible sigh of relief. I had presented a way for them to pay for the improvements and get top dollar for their home without having to come out-of-pocket with any more cash.”
If you’re ready to sell and get top dollar, reach out to Helen Adams Realty today to find out more about this one-of-a-kind program that helps sell homes fast, and as stress-free as possible.
