One of the most important parts of selling a home is making the right decisions before it ever goes on the market. Fresh paint, refinished or new flooring, landscaping, lighting, repairs, staging, and other improvements can make a significant difference in how a home presents to buyers. Check out my blog post on exactly this topic: What Does A Real Estate Project Manager Do When Preparing A Home For Sale?
But preparing a home properly can also require a substantial investment before the sale even begins. As a Compass agent, I can now offer eligible sellers another option. Market Ready Concierge, powered by Notable, can provide up to $75,000 to cover qualifying pre-sale expenses, with repayment deferred until closing.
For homeowners who want to prepare their property properly without using significant cash before the sale, this can be an extremely useful resource.
What Is Market Ready Concierge?
Market Ready Concierge is a financing program designed specifically to help sellers pay for the work and services needed to prepare a home for market.
Eligible sellers can access up to $75,000, depending on credit qualifications, and use the funds for most home-selling expenses. There are no required contractors or vendors, so sellers have flexibility in choosing who performs the work. Applying and accessing the funds uses a soft credit inquiry and does not impact your credit score.
Rather than paying for the improvements upfront, the amount used, along with applicable interest and fees, is generally repaid when the home closes.
What Types of Home Improvements Can Be Covered?
The program can cover a broad range of the work that may be recommended before bringing a home to market, including painting, flooring, lighting, landscaping, deep cleaning, decluttering, staging and furniture rental, photography, inspections, roofing, HVAC, plumbing, pest control, pool maintenance, moving expenses, and even temporary housing.
That flexibility is particularly valuable because every property needs something different. One home may benefit tremendously from paint, refinished floors, new lighting, and staging. Another may need landscaping and a handful of repairs. And there are certainly homes where very little should be done at all. The goal isn’t to spend money everywhere. It is to determine which improvements are most likely to make a meaningful difference when the home reaches the market. This is where my project manager and I will guide you.
How I Help Determine What Should Be Done
Market Ready Concierge fits particularly well with the way I already prepare homes for sale. I walk through each property with my dedicated Project Manager, Stacey Anstead, and identify the work we believe will have the greatest impact. After five years of working together, Stacey understands exactly what I am looking for and then manages the details necessary to get the home ready.
Our recommendations might include painting, flooring, lighting, landscaping, repairs, staging, or simply editing what is already there. The homeowner always makes the final decisions.
Market Ready Concierge does not change that process. It simply provides another way for eligible sellers to fund the work without having to pay those expenses upfront.
How Does Market Ready Concierge Work?
The process is relatively straightforward. A seller completes a brief application to determine eligibility and the amount of funding available. If approved, funds can then be used for most home-selling expenses with no contractor or vendor restrictions. The amount used is repaid through the closing process, along with applicable interest and fees.
Interest accrues only on funds actually used, and there is no cost if no funds are drawn. The current program includes a $499 origination fee when funds are used, and interest rates vary based on the borrower’s terms.
Who Is Eligible?
Market Ready Concierge is subject to credit approval and additional eligibility requirements.
Current program guidelines provide up to $50,000 for borrowers with a FICO score of 680 or higher and up to $75,000 with a FICO score of 780 or higher. The home must have sufficient equity, a listing agreement must be in place, and the current program applies to homes with a list price under $4 million. Additional eligibility criteria apply.
That last requirement is important in our market. Not every Los Altos or Los Altos Hills property will qualify because of the $4 million list-price limit. But for sellers whose homes fall within the program guidelines, it can provide another valuable option when planning for a sale.
Is It Better to Make Improvements Before Selling?
Not always, and certainly not every possible improvement.
I have spent more than 28 years selling homes in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, and one of the most important parts of my job is helping sellers determine where money is worth spending – and where it isn’t. The objective is ultimately much bigger than simply making a home look better. It is about bringing the property to market in a way that gives it the strongest opportunity for a successful sale.
Market Ready Concierge is powered by Notable and is subject to credit approval, program eligibility, interest, fees, rules and exclusions. Loan eligibility and credit limits are not guaranteed. Funds, interest and fees may become due before closing under certain circumstances, including expiration or termination of the listing agreement or 12 months after loan origination. Compass is not the lender. Sellers should review the complete program terms before participating.