Sellers want to maximize the price of their home, and sell it as quickly as possible. The best way is to have your home in pristine, move-in condition. Buyers have choices.
Homes with one of following turn-offs probably won’t sell for the price you want.
#1: Overpricing Your Home
Overpricing your home is like trying to crash the country club without a membership. You’ll be found out and escorted out. If the price is too high, you’re going to get some negative feedback from buyers. The worst feedback, of course, is silence. That could include no showings and no offers. The problem is that the buyers who are qualified to buy your home won’t see it because they’re shopping in a lower price range. The buyers who do view your home will quickly realize there are other homes in the same price range that offer more value.
#2: Smells
Smells come from a number of sources – pets, lack of cleanliness, stale air, water damage, etc. Most of us don’t notice our own home’s smells because we are used to living with them. The usual buyers who buy homes that smell are investors looking for a bargain. Standard buyers will get an inspection, and if they find anything like water damage, or pet urine under the “new” carpet, they will either discount their offer or walk away.
#3: Clutter
If your tables are full with photos, figurines, mail, and drinking glasses, the buyers’ attention is more focused on running the gauntlet of your living room than in considering your home for purchase. Too much furniture confuses the eye – it makes it difficult for buyers to see the proportions of rooms. If they can’t see what they need to know, they move on to the next home.
#4: Deferred Maintenance
Deferred maintenance is a polite euphemism for letting your home fall apart. Just like people age so do structures like your home. Things wear out, break and weather, and it’s your job as a homeowner to keep your home repaired. Buyers want a home that’s been well-maintained. They don’t want to wonder what needs to fixed next or how much it will cost.
#5: Dated Décor
Buyers are looking at your home instead of a new build because they want your neighborhood, but they also want a updated home in good repair. Harvest gold and avocado green from the seventies; soft blues and mauves from the eighties, jewel tones from the nineties, and onyx and pewter from the 2000’s can all date your home. Popcorn ceilings, shag or berber carpet, and flocked wallpaper also date your home. When you’re behind the times, buyers don’t want to join you.
Walker Team Realtors can help you avoid these turn-offs when selling your home. Contact us!