On the market for about three months, this house at 30 N. Gulf Blvd. on Palm Island, near Placida, is listed for sale at $ 599,900 by Kim Spallone of Gasparilla Properties. With a view up the Intracoastal Waterway, the well-maintained house has a 10,000-pound boat lift and three bedrooms in 1,640 square feet of air-conditioned area. "Waterfront is affordable here," said Spallone. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 2-1-2013.
Why do some houses sell quickly while others linger? The answer often goes well beyond just its price, says Linda Roe Dickinson, a top-selling agent with Michael Saunders & Co. in Sarasota.
"For all properties, the difference between selling and not selling is price, condition, access and exposure," said Dickinson, are the four key factors in determining how quickly a house will sell. "It doesn't make a difference what price range it is."
Price, of course, is determined by size, location and amenities of a house, as compared with similar properties that are reasonably nearby.
Condition is a reflection of how well the house has been maintained. Few buyers want a fixer-upper.
But Dickinson said the other two factors often are overlooked by sellers. Access means "you have to make it possible for people to view it, to see it. And it has to be in beautiful condition and it has to be priced right.
Exposure speaks to the marketing efforts made to sell the house, said Dickinson. It is not just advertising. It is advertising with a specific "target market" in mind. Mansions require different marketing strategies than starter homes to reach potential buyers, she said.
"Whether it is $10 million on $100,000, those four components drive the time it takes to sell a property," said Dickinson.
Dickinson said smaller waterfront homes, of 4,000 to 6,000 square feet, on single lots are fairly straightforward to market. She agreed that as a property gets more and more unique, perhaps with an amenity that most buyers would not need or want, it gets more difficult to sell.
"Maybe uniqueness is no the right word. Peculiarities," she said.
