Craig Ackerman Selling Grandma's House

Transcript: Craig Ackerman Selling Grandma's House

**Craig Ackerman, San Francisco Realtor:** Imagine you end up in charge of selling a home. Maybe because a family member passed away or they can no longer live independently.

Suddenly, you're accountable.

To complicate things, the home may be located far from where you live.

What do you do?

When I say you, what I really mean is me. 30 years ago I helped my parents with a sale of my grandmother's house when she moved into a nursing home.

Our family was overwhelmed. We desperately needed a plan and someone to help us manage all the moving parts.

Resources were lacking and in many cases still are.

First, we struggled with grandma's personal belongings - what to keep, what to distribute to family, what to dispose of.

An estate sales seemed like the answer until we learned that grandma would maybe see 50% of the proceeds and it would tie up her home for weeks.

So we donated almost everything.

In the meantime, some of grandma's possessions went missing. Who else had access to her house?

Months went by and the house still dominated our lives. I even dreamed I was trapped in the home and couldn't escape.

We labored over decisions on repairs and upgrade budget, materials and paint colors. Which changes would really pay off?

We did our best, painting, replacing carpet, refinishing hardwoods. Then we brought in a real estate agent who actually wasn't much help.

He complained for weeks that the price was too high, but he finally sold the home. It was a slow and painful process, full of uncertainty.

What if there was a better way?

There is.

Having sold over 300 homes, I've proven three important points:

Number one, it's costly to treat the home as a warehouse.

Many times, I've observed a $3 million home being held hostage for months by maybe $3,000 worth of grandma's personal belongings.

So I bring in a team of professionals. They systematically appraise, pack and securely move out the possessions. The estate receives a detailed accounting of it. Then everything is auctioned off site, stored for later distribution, or shipped directly to distribution centers.

Number two, 10 business days is enough time to update most homes for a higher sales price.

First, I present my marginal benefits analysis to the attorney and trustee. It pinpoints the highest profit producing home resurfacing projects.

Then with an approved plan, we hit the go button. My seasoned team works from established color palettes, so the project comes together quickly and efficiently. We shave months off the timeline.

Number three, investing a little returns a lot.

We consistently get a 200 to 500% return on investment for the resurfacing work my team does.

And if the estate doesn't have the cash on hand for the updates, I'll find a source.

The result? A freshened up home that appeals to far more buyers. One that generates competitive bidding and a higher sales price for the estate, all in a matter of days.

The same formula works handsomely for all types of San Francisco sellers.

Find tips, stories, and before and after photos on dramatically improving home sales in my book, "Selling Grandma's House, Streamlining a Trust Home Sale, for San Francisco Attorneys and Trustees."

Learn more at ackermanrealty.com/sellinggrammashouse.