"Beyond the Market" with Gaelen Trombley, Associate Real Estate Broker
- Jodi Brunner
- Sep 11
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 16
Clean House, Fat Offers
This is part 2 of a 3 part series of "What Actually Sells Your Home?" Last month, we talked about Marketing. This month, let’s talk about the second part of what actually sells your home: Condition.
Let me ask you something: Would you pay top dollar for a home that is the following:
Dirty. Cluttered. In need of maintenance. Smells weird. Looks like it hasn’t received updates since 1985?
Didn’t think so.
Buyers don’t fall in love with your home online. They fall in love when they walk through the front door. That’s where condition makes all the difference.
Here’s what I’ve learned after selling hundreds of homes:
How your home looks and feels in person is 10x more valuable than how it looks and feels online. The better your home looks, feels, and smells, the more money a buyer will pay, and the faster they'll pay it.
It’s that simple.
Many homes promise to be great (online marketing, Tik Tok videos, etc.), but fail to live up to the hype (in person condition). Don’t be like that.
Condition is what makes someone say, “Wow, this is nice. I want it!” Condition is what makes a buyer feel confident. Condition is what makes your home stand out from all the others.
You don’t need to remodel your kitchen or add a new bathroom. But you do need to clean, declutter, and fix what’s broken. I’m all for elbow grease over dumping cash into a home. The ROI is waaay better, in much less time!
Fresh paint. Trim the bushes. Make sure the lights work. Get rid of the clutter. These small things matter—a lot. Why? Because it makes it easier for buyers to say yes, and for more money!
Remember:
Price = how fast your home sells
Condition = how much your home sells for
And no, that's not a misprint.
Marketing gets attention. Condition gets offers. And isn’t the point of listing to get offers?
It’s not fancy. It’s not flashy. But it works.
Simple wins.
Next month, we’ll talk about the final piece of the puzzle: Price—and why getting that number right is the key to everything.
Until then, 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.