So just like school teachers work 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., we all know Realtors look pretty, unlock doors, and write a contract.
Right?
Of course not. It’s a lot of work, but that hard work can pay off in a big way. Take the example of Realtor Megan Green, a Realtor in the Raleigh Green Real Estate Group with Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty and this incredible Montserrat compound.
In a mere two days — just 48 hours — she had her almost $2.4 million listing in Fort Worth’s tony Montserrat under contract.
In reality, those two days were weeks in the making. A combination of timing, pricing, planning, marketing, and old-fashioned manual labor made it happen.
“We really facilitated the entire move out of this house,” she said of the property at 4804 Sidonia Ct. She and Raleigh Green, who just happens to be both her colleague and husband, oversaw everything from power washing to movers to cleaning. The couple spent two weeks straight at the house, perfecting their listing with staging, pool detailing, and more. “We white-gloved for the buyers, which allowed us to stay on top of this.”
Timing is Everything
In addition, the Greens knew that timing was important, convincing their sellers to wait until after the Independence Day holiday but get ahead of competing listings they knew were coming. They knew pricing was key, too, so arriving at a price just below that $2.5 million mark was part of their strategy.
“We did a lot of prep work prior to listing the house,” Raleigh said. “We knew listing it at $2.399 that it would move fast.”
“For us, a lot of these pieces aligned,” Megan said, ticking off lists of housing professionals from cleaning crews to stagers following one after another. “It was bam, bam, bam then it all fell into place.”
The Greens worked diligently on creative marketing, which included drone footage and a unique landing page on the group’s website. But they also know the uniqueness of the award-winning property in a popular luxury community also played a major part in the quick contract.
A Montserrat Compound With Bricks, Mortar, And Design
The estate is literally an award winner. In 2011, it won several awards during the Fort Worth Builders Association Kaleidoscope of Homes, including best interior design, best craftmanship, best kitchen, best unique feature, and best exterior design and elevation. Designed by Fort Worth architect Karl Hanfeld, the 4,193-square-foot Mediterranean manse was built by HGC builders.
“Both of those names are known in the Fort Worth area,” Megan said. “To get both of those names is a huge draw.”
The home’s interior continues the Mediterranean style through its two stories with wood accents, arched doorways and a tile accents in the public areas. The mother-in-law suite is tucked away from the other bedrooms on the first floor, along with the primary bedroom that is secluded to the back of the house with its own private sitting area and patio. Upstairs, are two more bedrooms with en-suite baths.
Above all else, according to the listing agents, the lot size of this Montserrat compound created some of the buzz around the listing. A huge lot just minutes from downtown Fort Worth is definitely in demand, as are many of the homes in Montserrat.
“One of the big draws for both agents and buyers is a gated community,” Raleigh said. “The biggest draw of all is the size of the lot.”
Sitting on a 1.2-acre lot transforms the four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath home from just a mansion to a compound. The large pool includes both a swim lane and a hot tub. The grounds feature manicured gardens with pebbled walkways, an outdoor kitchen, a fireplace, a private pond, and ways to entertain in a very grand way. Beyond a brick wall is a 30-car (not a typo) gravel parking area, allowing guests to drive up to the home’s front entry and the valets to park it out of sight, behind the house.
Balancing Act
The property was listed on July 5 and the house was under contract by July 7. The quick agreement meant a juggling act being fair to all involved parties — the potential buyers, those making offers, those coming from out of town, and, of course, the sellers.
“Being an agent is a lot more than what you think,” Megan said. “You’re trying to balance all those offers from different buyers and make sure everyone’s taken care of … Our goal was to treat them all as fair as we can as well as making sure our sellers get what they need as well.”
The result? A local buyer has the home under contract at above the asking price.
