401 Spruce St
This is a story about striking while the iron is hot. At the time of listing 401 Spruce St, there were only 2 properties less than $1 million for sale in Haddonfield. With the town being so coveted, many buyers were prepared to write a "blank check" to get their hands on a home. Which is how South Jersey Realtor Melisa Anderson timed the market to perfection to land their sellers a $62k over-asking price offer.
Their Story
Stephanie and William adored their charming Haddonfield Colonial-style home; they'd lovingly maintained it for 10 years but were beginning to outgrow its 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom floor plan. Their desire was more space and a bigger backyard.
With South Jersey Realtor Melisa Anderson's help, they were able to buy a stunning—much larger, gorgeous, move-in ready—home in Marlton, buying it non-contingent. Which means they were able to put in the offer, do all their inspections, close on the home and move right on in. All before they even had to start thinking about selling their Haddonfield home, 401 Spruce St. Their new home was nearly new construction with gorgeous premium finishes and, get this... on a nearly 7 acre lot. They finally had the huge yard they dreamed of.
The next step was listing 401 Spruce St. With the happy homeowners finalizing their move, Melisa kept them updated with what we going on in the housing market. With so little inventory (homes for sale) in Haddonfield, Melisa realized if they left it much longer they'd miss an opportunity to list the home at an optimum time. Melisa suggested the couple conduct a deep clean of the home and declutter throughout, and they were finally ready for listing photography and videography in December 2024.
Hitting the market on January 2nd was timed to perfection: this home was listed for $700,000, and at that moment there were only 2 other single family homes for sale in Haddonfield listed under $1 million! With many families clamoring to get into the Haddonfield School District on less an a millon dollar budget, this sparked a ton of showings and open house visitors.
Over the weekend of the home being on market, it had attracted 4 offers: 2 of them fantastically over-asking price. The most ambitious offer included an escalation clause, and ended up being $62,000 over the list price, and they offered a quick closing which suited Mel's sellers perfectly.
Not only that, the terms involved: inspections for structural and environmental issues only (meaning the sellers knew they weren't about to be nickel-and-dimed over tiny little imperfections like a lightbulb not working—believe us, it happens!). The offer also included a $25,000 appraisal gap coverage, providing some reassurance to Stephanie and William that even if the buyer's mortgage company thought the home wasn't worth $762,000, they could still net a pretty fantastic price.
They home closed just over 3 weeks later, and Stephanie and William were over the moon at how much their home netted them. Many agents always say "you can't time the market" (and that definitely is true in many respects), but by keeping an eye on what's going on with local real estate activity and working with a housing market expert like Mel, you can absolutely optimize your opportunity for a profitable home sale.
A special part of this transaction: while Melisa Anderson listed the home on behalf of her sellers, the 'winning' buyers were represented by Pip Haxby-Thompson, who is also a JFKLiving agent and Mel's brother-in-law! Here's a photo of the two fabulous agents on January 31st, which was closing day for this wonderful home.
Recruiting The Neighbors
Informing the neighbors of an upcoming listing is a powerful tool in our toolkit: because if they love their neighborhood, they might encourage their own friends and family to move there, too. We recruit the neighbors to spread the word by "doorhanging" the streets—i.e. leaving a beautifully-branded promo for the listing on their front door, inviting them to the open house, as well as shipping out mailers.
The Results
Now for the important part: the outcome of our Marketing Strategy to secure these sellers an incredible offer. The 401 Spruce St Marketing Campaign involved a teaser Coming Soon campaign, professional photography, professional videography, a series of social media posts, a targeted email campaign (to 2.7k buyers househunting in Haddonfield and the surrounding area), doorhanging the neighborhood, and an extraordinary Zillow Showcase Listing profile that 'hacked' the Zillow algorithm to shoot this home to the top of everyone's search.
The Profit
The numbers above look great an' all, but what you really care about is how much this beautiful home sold for, right? Let's dive in.
Thinking about selling your Haddonfield home?
We'd be thrilled to help you receive results like this home here. Drop your address in the form below and let's get started.
