Homeownership: The American Dream. Those buyers who make it happen for themselves and their families know there is very little that will top that feeling of accomplishment.
Owning your own home almost always means building financial security. It also means there are very few rules for what you want to do with your property, inside or outside. You can make happen whatever works for you, with no one telling you yay or nay. Until, that is, when it comes time to sell. Then there may be some issues.
The smart homeowners planning to sell, along with their REALTORS®, should take a close look at the property both inside and out, playing the role of buyer. Even things that cannot easily be changed, like permanent fixtures that may put some people off, can be downplayed, while most other potentially negative aspects can be cured, often more with effort than dollars.
A Realtor.com® survey recently indicated that 53% of homesellers take nearly a month to prepare and get their home ready to list on the market, meaning now is the time to begin preparing for any owner planning to sell soon. Especially since price reductions tend to peak in the fall as sellers left on the market after the summer rush try to attract attention.
“I love to help my sellers stage their homes with modern accessories that distract from anything that might make it look dated or less desirable as far as its value,” says Debbie Lang, with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices (BHHS) Fox & Roach, REALTORS® in Princeton, New Jersey; and BHHS Florida Realty, Boca Raton, Florida. “I have my ‘secret to selling success’ hacks that make a home warm and inviting, helping buyers fall in love with it and want to live there.”
As far as minor tweaks are concerned, “cosmetics you can always change, but location you can’t,” she adds. So what are some of the must fixes?
- Bad curb appeal. First impressions are vital. If the outside isn’t pristine, it sets a bad tone.
- Over-personalization. Buyers want to envision living in their home, not yours.
- Dark downers. Let there be extra light in rooms where the paint job isn’t.
- Common scents. Odors are a turn-off, so make sure pets or other aromas don’t play.
- Garage clutter. Yes, many garages are messy. Those in homes for sale should not be.
- Carpet stains. Hire professional cleaners if need be, but make sure they’re spotless.
- Dismal-looking DIY projects. If they’re eyesores, it’s best to have them improved visually.
- Indoor houseplants. What some see as vibrant others see as bug-collectors. Lose them.
Design styles are another potential flashpoint for buyers. Different generations value different looks, so it’s impossible to please every buyer. But there are certain no-no’s that should be followed. And strategies that buyer agents can employ as well.
Certain home features—gray vinyl floors, AstroTurf lawns, useless nooks, liminal space above stairways—are annoying and ugly, but you can’t do much about them. A lot of younger buyers are seeing social media trends mocking them. How do you talk about these features to a buyer client? And how can listing agents minimize their impact?
“This is a funny topic,” says Jeffrey Decatur, a broker associate with RE/MAX Capital in Albany, New York. “Taste is personal, trends have an expiration date and anything can be changed. Interestingly enough, sitting down with buyers and showing them what is available in their price range generally changes their opinion on those gray vinyl floors.
“When they find out how much of an upgrade it is for real hardwood or see the price tag of the homes decorated in a style they like, they get a reality check. Then they start saying things like, ‘You know, those gray floors are scratch/waterproof, that would be good for the dog,’ or ‘Gray goes with anything, so we can work around that.’ I try to educate them on the benefits of a new roof, windows or furnace over a home being painted or decorated nicely. It is a lot cheaper to repaint than to replace a furnace.”
Pam Rosser Thistle, with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, REALTORS® in Philadelphia, has buyer and seller clients mostly in urban areas.
“I equate unusual features the same way I would with a nicely proportioned but unkempt yard,” she explains. “Focus on the size and the potential. A city ‘yard’ of weeds and cracks can become a beautiful oasis with room for chairs, a table and a grill for al fresco meals if it’s the right size. My approach is to focus on the possibilities. I recently showed a fix-up house that had a similar layout to my own home. I brought the buyers there to show them what could be done.”
Decatur is a realist. He knows owners are going to do whatever they please to their homes, and that buyers will want whatever they want.
“I always tell buyers that they are going to personalize their house no matter what they buy, new or resale,” he says. “They are better off living comfortably and financially responsible with gray floors than being overextended and house-poor. Classic is always in fashion, and trends come and go.
“As a listing agent, some features sell better than others. It is a fine line to dance with a client as to what is dated and what is not. Many times sellers don’t see anything wrong with their decor or odd nooks. Younger buyers tend to like the shiny, instead of substance. They love a good staged house, even though they aren’t buying the furniture.”
