[photopress:BubbleBurst.jpg,thumb,alignright]Yes, you can prevent the bubble from bursting. Yes, you can prevent home prices from tumbling. The market takes a hit when sellers refuse to see the handwriting on the wall, and are too arrogant and complacent to compensate for market weaknesses.

The Seattle area is almost entirely unigue in its ability to sustain home values. But gone are the days when you can ignore the homes’ weaknesses. Gone are the days when you can put anything on market, in any crappy condition, and have people pouncing on it, regardless of look and smell and overall condition.

You can still get a better price than the comps. But you have to pay very close attention to showing your “product” in its best possible light. You can’t waste your Grand Opening by saying, I’ll lower the price IF it doesn’t sell. You can’t say “I’ll make it look better IF someone doesn’t buy it”. “You never get a second chance to make a first impression, was never truer than it is right now.”

Do not let anyone in your house until it is absolutely READY! Do not hit that button that sends you LIVE into the MLS, while you are still getting the house ready for market. Don’t push your price over the comps, unless you know you are at least as good or better than those comps.

The market tumbles when people are lazy and greedy. When they want to price it higher than any property that has ever sold before, and want to do nothing to make it look its best.

This is one of those “Forewarned is Forearmed” messages, because I am seeing things sitting on market because sellers are digging in their heels and saying I want more money and I want to do nothing to get that more money. Nothing will send the market tumbling faster that a lot of signs out there on stale listing.

If you have had your property on market for more than 45 days and it is not sold…wake up and smell the coffee and make some changes, before the volume of properties not selling sends the market into a tumble. Be reasonable, and make changes as needed. If the market tells you “We’re not buying it” in 30 to 45 days…do something about it. Don’t say “I’m not in a hurry to sell”. You don’t have to be “in a hurry” to notice that no one is making an offer, because your house is not in tip top shape, and so won’t sell at this price.

Don’t just lower the price until it sells. Take it off market, get it looking its best, and then bring it back. When you don’t make your house look its best, you drive down prices, and that hurts your neighbors. Be a good neighbor and sell your house at top dollar by doing anything and everything you can to make it show in its best light.