"Beyond the Market" with Gaelen Trombley, Associate Real Estate Broker
- Jodi Brunner
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
How to Actually Sell Your Home (Without a TikTok Dance)
What Actually Sells Your Home? Throughout my years selling homes I’ve noticed patterns. Every home sale boils down to 3 things. These 3 things, when aligned, will sell your home fast and for the most money. Over the next 3 months, I'm going to cover 1 of the Big 3 each month. So batting leadoff is Marketing...
When you hear “real estate marketing,” you probably think of drone shots, sizzle reels, or agents gushing about Brazilian Cherry floors on video. But selling a home isn’t magic—and all that flash? Mostly smoke and mirrors. Hot take (but true): most “marketing” is designed to impress you, the seller—not to sell your home. It gets agents more leads, not you more offers.
Drone videos, TikTok dances, and AI gimmicks might make your home look cool online—but if the price is off and the condition is poor, it won’t matter. Buyers buy homes in person. They want to feel the space. They want to feel at home. They want value. Does the home match what they want for the price?
Marketing is just 1% of what sells your home. It gets the word out—but price and condition do the heavy lifting. No need to complicate it: show up online, look good, be priced right. That’s what sells.
The two best marketers for your home are price and condition (spoiler alert for what the next 2 of the Big 3 are).
Price = how fast your home sells
Condition = for how much your home sells
If price and condition work together, they create the best marketing plan to help you reach your goals. But if price and condition don't align, good luck selling. Real Talk: Marketing doesn’t sell a bad house at a bad price. It just makes people look at a bad house at a bad price. The best “marketing” in the world can’t sell an overpriced, neglected home. Don't believe me? Ask yourself: “Would I pay the list price for an overpriced home that looks like crap?” Probably not.
Marketing sets expectations. Condition and Price determine reality. Put another way, what a buyer sees in person (condition) must match or exceed the expectations set online (marketing). Then the price has to reflect the condition, or there won't be an offer.
So, what do I focus on when marketing your home?
Strategy & Setting Expectations (I need to educate Sellers on the market and the right game plan to execute on)
List Price (I need to show Sellers where to list their home to maximize the probability of receiving offers)
Condition of your home (I give Sellers advice on how best to stage and prepare for showings to increase the value of their home)
Photos (First impressions matter. The house has to look good, then we professionally edit photos for maximum wow factor)
Digital Placement (Go where the eyeballs are: Online, specifically MLS Syndication & Social Media)
Sounds boring? Well, boring wins. Think fairway & greens in golf. We shouldn't complicate something that’s easy. That's my approach to home sales. If we nail down pricing and condition, then marketing and an offer are foregone conclusions.
Now you may be asking, “Why would I pay an Agent to market/sell my home then?” The marketing that most consumers think of is the razzle-dazzle, not the meat and potatoes. An Agent who understands the 5 areas mentioned above is worth their weight in gold. I’ll give you one of my favorite fables to help prove the point:
The company’s key machine breaks down, which is essential to the company’s revenue, and no one can fix it—so they call in the recently retired engineer. He walks in, studies the machine, and gives it one precise hit with a hammer. It roars back to life. He leaves, and the company is making money again. The next day, he sends a $5,000 bill. The manager is furious at the price, given the short time on the fix, and refuses to pay. The engineer assures him that it’s a fair price. When asked to explain, he replies: “Hammer:$5. Knowing where to hit: $4,995.”
I can only fit so much on this page. If you want all the details with more explanation and context on the above information, check out my Case Study at the bottom of this article. I explain the exact system I use with Sellers to sell faster and for more money than industry standards. I go super in depth. It's long, but I didn't want to leave anything out. Enjoy!
Gaelan Trombley is an Associate Real Estate Broker with Kavanaugh Realty and host of The Gaelan Trombley Show, a long-form podcast with guests across various fields.
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