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When it's time to sell your home sweet home, you need more than market savvy from a real estate dealer - you need some sensitivity, too. This is no secret to Phoebe K. Leask - it's her empathetic nature that makes her one of the most successful brokers at The Vanderblue Team in Fairfield. "Selling your house is an emotional rollercoaster," says Phoebe. This is particularly true now, with so many people forced to leave the homes they love for financial reasons. "The first question I always ask is 'What's the most important thing to you?' Some people have to get out of their place right away, others need to make a certain amount of money. Then you have people who just want somebody who's going to love their baby the way they did. With those types, you can't push changes. You can't say, 'You have to paint the walls white' when they're still in love with their orange and purple."
After 28 years in the biz, this common sense compassion is second nature to Phoebe. "People want you to sell their house, they don't want you meddling in their lives," she says. "They want to make sure you're not going to let people come in and track dirt all over the place, or leave the lights on. I like this job because it's not about me, it's always about the buyer or seller. Everybody has their priorities. I always say you have to listen before you speak."
That said, if someone is super hot to sell their house, Phoebe acknowledges that the current climate calls for homeowners to be "extremely competitive."
"What are you going to offer buyers to make your house stand out? You've got to get them in the door. You can't just list a house and leave it at that." Phoebe creates websites for individual properties, and is adamant about presenting houses in the best light possible.
"Some brokers show pictures of a floor, or a room full of furniture. Are you trying to sell furniture or a house?"
Like most area brokers, Phoebe says the market is slowly coming back around; activity is up - but one thing hasn't changed.
"Value is still not going up," she says. "This is the best time in decades for buyers."
Whichever side of the fence you're on, call Phoebe for help at 203-258-9160 or email phoebe@vanderblueteam.com.
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