It’s not always easy to give a homeowner advice that they don’t necessarily want to hear, but the homeowner is paying us in part for our experience knowing what today’s buyers are looking for in a home.
Nobody wants to hear their carpet needs to be replaced or their wall colors are right out of a 70’s movie, but they hired us to help them sell their home for the most amount of money in the shortest time possible.
You can’t get the price you want if your home is not in tip-top, move in condition.
No squeaky doors or floors, no cracked windows or tiles, no worn carpeting… If you have even one of the following “turn-offs,” your home won’t sell.
Here’s what we consistently see are the five biggest turn-offs to today’s buyers:
1. Overpriced for the market
2. Odors
3. Lack of maintenance
4. Dated décor
5. Disorganization/Clutter
Overpricing your home
A home gets most showings when it first hits the market. A buyer who loves a home that is overpriced may move on simply because it’s $10K over market value. Many sellers feel that buyers will make an offer, even if only $10K over.
The truth is agents educate buyers that with a new listing, sellers expect full price. The danger in pricing too high and chasing the market is after a short time, buyers wonder why the home hasn’t sold and may exclude it from their list, or wait for price reductions, only to come in with an even lower offer.
Odors
When a home smells, buyers want to run. They can’t picture living somewhere that smells like pets or smoke. They worry that they may never be able to rid the home of the odor. They wonder if it’s in the carpet, paint and or ceiling and associate that with a large repair bill.
A clean home shows better and sells much faster! We incorporate many checklists to make sure your home not only looks great, but also smells great to get that offer quickly, for the most money possible.
Lack of maintenance
First time buyers are uneasy about buying and affording a house right out the gate. When a home has newer siding, roofing, windows, etc. they don’t worry about huge ticket item repairs.
Buyers in general are attracted to homes with maintenance free exteriors. When a home is well maintained, it gives it “I’m a cared for home” feeling. We’ve seen time and time again that it makes more sense to remodel the outside before the inside.
Buyers tend to overestimate the cost of big ticket repairs, so the siding you’ve put off and figure the buyer can complete for $8,000, the buyer may very well look at as a $14,000 repair and buy a home that has a newer exterior.
Dated décor
Dated décor is a huge problem. When a home is dated, buyers see many dollar signs to update it. Installing new carpeting, counter tops, light fixtures, and cabinet hardware are just a few things that can be done to really modernize a home.
Buyers compare homes and dated homes stand out like a sore thumb. Nobody wants to deal with shag carpet or 80’s wallpaper.
Sometimes all it takes is a little new paint, some new cabinet hardware and a light fixture or two to really update and brighten up a drab or outdated area.
Disorganization/Clutter
When a home has too many trinkets, it really distracts the eye. It can make a home look smaller and people can’t visualize what it would look like de-cluttered.
A home that is staged leaves room for the buyers to imagine what their belongings will look like in the home. Too much furniture can make a normal size room feel small and distract the eye from the rest of the home.
Don’t make that sectional you love send the buyer out the door to the next home! We make sure each home is staged to show it’s best to every potential buyer.
Contact the Kawohl Team today and have us out at your convenience to talk about todays market and discuss decorating options to increase your bottom line!