The Incorvaia Team at Keller Williams Realty explains why a seller’s market doesn’t mean your home will move instantly

By Ken McEntee

Preparation matters.

Prematurely listing your home for sale is kind of like starting the football season without having played your starters together in the preseason.

Even when conditions look ideal on paper, lack of preparation can yield disappointing results, cautions Michael Incorvaia Jr., of the Incorvaia Team at Keller Williams Realty Greater Cleveland Southwest, in Strongsville.

“Interest rates are historically low and home inventories are low,” Mike reports. “That doesn’t necessarily mean your home is going to sell in two days or a week. There are lots of agents out there who roll up with a contract, pull a sign out of their trunk, take a few pictures and rush to list the home that minute. Then they have to explain why it isn’t selling.”

Mike is not a fan of that approach.

“Some very nice houses are simply not ready to be listed based on our professional walk through,” he insists. “We take the time to coach sellers about staging, where to place furniture, what room might need to be painted. We look over the landscaping and make the necessary tweaks. We bring in professional photographers to present our listings in the best light. Our goal is to eliminate as many possible buyers’ objections up front as we can. When the home is in the optimal position to be listed, that’s when we list it.”

That strategy may be one reason why the Incorvaia Team is currently at the very top of the standings for volume of homes sold in Northeast Ohio year-to-date, according to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Last year, the team closed 579 transactions.

Mike is quick to note that the Incorvaia Team is just as strong on the buyer’s side of the field.

“Buyers need to be just as prepared as sellers,” he says. “Especially in a seller’s market, when you find the perfect home, you need to be able to jump on it or somebody else will. That means being assured of financing and knowing how much to offer.”

That’s why the Incorvaia Team brings buyers into its office for a buyer’s consultation.

“We don’t feel that it’s enough to meet a buyer at a property, walk them through and then go our separate ways,” he explains. “In our conference room we stream in the MLS live on our 75-inch screen, talk about what the buyers are looking for in a home, help to get financing set up and review current trends through our comprehensive Trendgraphix data, which discloses important market intelligence, like average days on market and average sale-to-list price in specific communities.”

The consultation helps buyers to set realistic expectations and prepares them to act quickly.

“That doesn’t mean you need to jump at the first home you see,” Mike says. “You might see 20 or 30. But when the right one comes along, we want you to be ready—not disappointed.”

The Incorvaia Team is owned and operated by Michael Incorvaia Jr., Sylvia Incorvaia, and Mike Incorvaia Sr. The team’s secret weapon, Mike reveals, is a team of four, full-time, licensed administrators who coordinate listings and transactions—and are prepared to act instantly when an audible is called.

“If a seller wants to make an adjustment at 2:00 on a Saturday afternoon, our administrators deal with it instantly with no loss of market time,” Mike promises.

You can get off the sidelines and into the market with a call to the Incorvaia Team, at 440-879-7130. The Incorvaia Team is headquartered at 18318 Pearl Road, in Strongsville, just behind Chase Bank. You can learn more by visiting GreaterClevelandLife.com.