Michael Stevens

Prepare Smarter. Sell for More.

After more than 20 years and 500 home sales, Michael Stevens has learned that maximizing a home's potential value often depends on decisions made long before the property ever reaches the market.

That's why Michael's approach to selling a home doesn't begin with putting a sign in the yard.

It begins with a different question:

What could this home be worth if we prepared it strategically before selling?

A Different Kind of Real Estate Experience

Michael brings an unusual combination of real estate, construction, remodeling and marketing expertise to homeowners throughout Milton, Alpharetta and North Atlanta.

His understanding of homes began decades before he entered real estate.

Growing up when schools still offered extensive hands-on trade education, Michael studied woodworking, electrical, metal and other trades beginning in junior high. Woodworking became a passion, and while still in school he began building furniture and selling pieces to teachers and neighbors.

While attending college, Michael helped put himself through school as part of a three-person crew building a high-end custom home for a local architect. Working on virtually every aspect of the home's construction gave him practical knowledge of residential building that continues to influence how he evaluates homes today.

Michael was also a quarterback in high school and college and participated in track and other sports. He credits those experiences—particularly football—with teaching him lasting lessons about preparation, leadership, teamwork, accountability and performing under pressure.

From Corporate Marketing to Real Estate

After college, Michael spent 15 years in corporate sales and marketing, eventually serving as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for market-leading technology companies.

During that career, he worked with hundreds of sophisticated clients, including organizations such as GE, eBay, Nike, Cisco, The Home Depot, Coca-Cola, the NBA and the NFL.

That experience taught him how to understand customers, identify what motivates decisions, communicate value, position products effectively and negotiate at a high level.

After relocating to Milton in 2001, Michael eventually left the corporate world and entered residential real estate full-time in 2006.

He sold more than 35 homes his first year, was named Rookie of the Year and never looked back.

More than 20 years and 500 home sales later, Michael has developed particularly deep experience in Milton and the surrounding North Atlanta communities.

Maximizing a Home Before Marketing It

Over the years, Michael repeatedly saw sellers make one of two costly mistakes.

Some spent tens of thousands of dollars improving their homes without understanding whether buyers would actually pay more for those improvements.

Others sold completely as-is when carefully selected improvements could potentially have increased the home's appeal and market value by considerably more than the cost of the work.

Michael believed there was a smarter way.

Today, his specialty is helping sellers identify the improvements that have the best opportunity to create more value than they cost.

The objective isn't to remodel everything.

It's to spend intelligently.

Michael evaluates every potential improvement by asking:

Will today's buyer value it?

Will it improve the way the property competes in its price range?

And is the potential increase in value worth the investment?

Depending on the property, that might mean paint, flooring, lighting, landscaping, repairs or staging. For another property, updating a kitchen or bathroom might make sense.

And sometimes the smartest recommendation is to spend very little at all.

Knowing what NOT to do can be every bit as valuable as knowing what to improve.

More Than Advice

Michael also owns a residential remodeling company.

That means when improvements do make financial sense, he can go beyond simply telling the homeowner what should be done.

He can help coordinate and manage the process of getting the home market-ready—from repairs, painting and cosmetic improvements to more significant remodeling, landscaping, cleaning and staging.

And for qualified sellers who would prefer not to fund approved improvements entirely out of pocket before the sale, Stevens Residential can provide access to up to $75,000 toward approved pre-listing improvements, with repayment deferred until closing.*

The result is a much more integrated approach:

Determine the home's potential.

Identify the right improvements.

Avoid unnecessary spending.

Manage the preparation.

Then bring the property to market at its best.

Then the Marketing Begins

Once the home is ready, Michael's 35+ combined years of sales, marketing and real estate experience come together.

Professional photography and video, floor plans, 3D tours, compelling property presentation, strategic pricing, digital marketing, targeted exposure and experienced negotiation are all designed around one objective:

Creating the strongest possible market response for the seller.

Michael's affiliation with Ansley Real Estate | Christie's International Real Estate adds another important advantage. Ansley is one of Atlanta's leading luxury real estate brokerages, while Christie's International Real Estate provides access to a sophisticated global luxury real estate network.

Within Ansley, Michael has earned Circle of Excellence recognition as a top-producing agent. His accomplishments also include recognition from RealTrends and Atlanta Magazine.

But ultimately, Michael believes his value to a seller can be summarized much more simply:

I understand the house.

I understand the buyer.

And I understand how to market one to the other.

Prepare Smarter. Sell for More.

If you're considering selling—even if that move may be 6–12 months away—don't wait until you're ready to put the home on the market to start the conversation.

Before you spend a dollar preparing your home to sell, talk to me.

Let's determine what your home is worth today—and what it could potentially be worth with the right preparation.