Third Time Is the Charm – How DeLeon Realty Sells Homes Other Agents Cannot
By Ken DeLeon
When a home has failed to sell with one or even two previous agents, the problem is not always the property. DeLeon Realty has developed a particular expertise in transforming stale listings through strategic preparation, thoughtful staging, fresh positioning, and extensive marketing. Recent successes in Atherton, Los Altos Hills, and Los Altos demonstrate how the right strategy can turn a property that generated little interest into one that attracts multiple offers.
Key Takeaways
- A Fresh Strategy Can Change Everything - A home does not necessarily become more desirable simply because it changes agents. Repositioning the property, improving its presentation, and launching a new marketing strategy can give it an entirely different presence in the market.
- Staging Can Reveal a Home's Potential - Thoughtful staging can do more than make a home look attractive. It can help buyers understand how a floor plan works, highlight a property's strengths, and overcome concerns that may have prevented previous buyers from making an offer.
- Marketing Creates New Opportunities - Extensive marketing, including DeLeon's international and Mandarin-language outreach, can connect a property with buyers who may never have encountered it through a traditional marketing campaign. At 35 Barry Lane, that approach helped generate three offers within eight days after years without a single offer.
The saying “the third time is the charm” may be familiar, but it is not something sellers want to hear when it comes to their home. Yet this year, DeLeon Realty has taken over several properties after two prior agents were unable to produce a sale. In each case, the home did not suddenly become more desirable. What changed was the strategy behind its preparation and the extensive marketing that transformed homes stigmatized as stale listings into compelling properties that generated multiple offers.
The clearest example is 35 Barry Lane in Atherton. The property had been on and off the market for approximately three years with prior agents without generating a single offer. When we took over the listing, we approached it as a new product rather than simply putting a new sign in front of the same house. We improved the presentation by staging the home, whereas previously the seller had been reluctant to incur this significant expense. Because full staging is included with our services, our client could make this important improvement without bearing the substantial cost himself. He was thrilled by the transformation when his darker, dated furniture was replaced with light, bright furnishings that better showcased the home.
We also reconsidered how the home should be positioned and launched an extensive marketing campaign designed to reach buyers throughout Silicon Valley and beyond. Within just eight days, we generated three offers, two written and one verbal. Our extensive marketing to the international community and significant Mandarin advertising also paid off, with two of the interested buyers being Chinese. To sell a home for approximately $24 million with multiple offers and above the list price is exceptionally rare, and our seller was amazed by the result.
SELLER TESTIMONIAL
After working with Ken and the DeLeon Team and selling my home with multiple offers above list price in 8 days, I can see why the DeLeon Team is #1 in Atherton. The DeLeon Team did an exceptional job orchestrating the strategy for presenting my home, and the marketing they generated was exceptional. The DeLeon Team also did a great job preparing my home for the market,..the Chinese marketing and brochure in Mandarin were very useful for the Chinese buyers who came through and offered on the home.
– Seller of 35 Barry Lane
A similar success occurred at 13321 La Paloma Road in Los Altos Hills. This home had also been on the market for a year with two past agents without receiving a single offer. We reevaluated the home and made strategic staging decisions, such as flipping the living room and dining room to better reflect how today’s buyers live and entertain. Additionally, a craft room was restaged as a bedroom with bunk beds since this was the only bedroom close to the primary suite, helping us solve what buyers might otherwise perceive as a floor plan weakness. Silicon Valley has some of the brightest and most sophisticated buyers in the world, but even the most discerning buyers can benefit from seeing exactly how a home can function for their lifestyle. Thoughtfully placed furniture can make the potential of a floor plan immediately apparent.
The seller of 13321 La Paloma was amazed that, after taking a one-week vacation to allow the home to be easily shown while he was traveling, he returned to multiple offers that exceeded his expectations. He later told us that the sale, both faster and at a higher price than anticipated, had changed his life by freeing his family from what he described as “housing purgatory” and allowing them to return to Europe.
The third-time-is-the-charm story may soon play out again this year with 1127 Hillslope Road in Los Altos. With two past agents and several years of market exposure, this beautifully built newer home has now been restaged and strategically improved. We extended the lawn area and trimmed the oak trees to better showcase the panoramic Bay views. These changes should help buyers see the property through an entirely new lens and give the home the fresh market positioning it deserves.
We frequently come in as the second listing agent and sell a home for more than it was previously listed for, as we recently did at 1686 Parkhills in Los Altos. But what we really excel at is taking a stale, stigmatized listing and transforming it into a fresh and compelling property. Through superior preparation, thoughtful staging, and extensive marketing, we can overcome previous buyer concerns and give exceptional homes another opportunity to achieve the price they deserve.
Silicon Valley was built on learning from past mistakes, and real estate is no different. Of course, the ideal outcome is to choose the right team from the start and maximize both your price and negotiating leverage from the moment your home hits the market. But if your first agent, or even your second, does not deliver the result you expected, that does not mean the opportunity is lost. DeLeon Realty has developed particular expertise in succeeding where others have failed. Sometimes, the third time really is the charm.
Ken DeLeon (DRE #01342140) | ken@deleonrealty.com | 650.543.8501
DeLeon Realty, Inc. | DRE #01903224 | Equal Housing Opportunity
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a home that failed to sell with another agent still succeed?
Absolutely. A property’s previous market history does not necessarily determine its future. A fresh assessment, strategic improvements, new positioning, and stronger marketing can change how buyers perceive a home.
What can DeLeon do differently with a stale listing?
DeLeon evaluates the entire presentation, from staging and strategic improvements to pricing, positioning, and marketing. The goal is to address the reasons buyers may have overlooked the property and reintroduce it to the market as a compelling opportunity.
How did DeLeon help 35 Barry Lane sell after years on the market?
DeLeon restaged the home, repositioned its presentation, and launched an extensive marketing campaign targeting buyers throughout Silicon Valley and internationally. Within eight days, the property generated three offers and ultimately sold for approximately $24 million, above the list price.
