During my real estate career I've shown thousands of houses, and there's one thing that's true for almost all buyers: they make observations on your home as soon as they walk in and some of them are not so nice.
Buyers need to connect with your home in a personal way in order to want to purchase it. They use all five of their senses and will often verbalize what they're thinking. Here are some of the most common (brutally honest) observations that I hear.
SMELLS
Whether it's food, cigarettes, or even overly aggressive air fresheners - nothing turns off a buyer faster than a smell that they don't like. Don't try and mask or cover up unpleasant odors - you need to get to the source and fix it. You may need to replace carpet, paint walls, clean out air ducts, or remove furniture - especially pieces that pets love to sit on. Don't cook any foods with pungent odors.
PERSONAL PHOTOS
I actually like when homes have a few pictures, despite what every real estate article and video recommends. Personally, I've never seen a buyer get turned off by a few lovely family photos. What you want to avoid are casual snapshots. You don't want buyers taking away too much of their time checking out your 2002 Spring Break photo collage. And lets talk about wedding photos - take down almost all of them. They could dredge up negative emotions for newly divorced buyers.
NICKNAMES
Your house will definitely get a nickname - every buyer does it. They come in, look at your house, remember one or two things about it and then give each house a nickname. Just the other day, I had a buyer refer to the "zebra house" because it had a cool picture of that animal above the couch. You want buyers to have a positive or neutral nickname, and not a strange personal item like tequila. I have found that buyers are much more likely to purchase homes with a positive nickname.
DIRT, DUST, HAIR
It's really hard to keep a house clean with a family and pets living in it, but it's so important for the home to exude cleanliness. No dirty baseboards, dog hair on the floor, mold in the shower, or a dusty air filter. Buyers notice all of these things right away and it's a huge turn off. Do a deep cleaning before you list your home, and then spend the money to have someone come weekly for upkeep while you are showing it.
IS THIS HOUSE WORTH THE PRICE?
Almost immediately, a buyer will make an assessment of what they think your house is worth, usually based on how much work they feel it needs. Buyers tend to overestimate the cost of cosmetic changes, so make easy ones before listing - modern paint colors, removing wallpaper, updating light and plumbing fixtures, and replacing worn carpet.
Melanie is a Tampa Bay area Realtor with Smith & Associates.
She loves Tampa Bay area area, houses, and helping clients buy and sell real estate.
Email: matkinson@smithandassociates.com
Call/text me if you are looking to buy / sell a home in the Tampa Bay area! 813.368.6084
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