For Sale Home
There is a fundamental truth about working with listing agents and that is they might be less than candid about the condition of your home if they suspect you will not list your home with them if they were brutally honest with you. These agents try to sugar code and have their fingers crossed that if the home does not sell, they will be able to share their initial observations with you.
Here are the top 4 property flaws that turn off most buyers and your agent might not have told you about them:
1) Smell Test : If you have pets or old carpets, or poorly maintained AC and Furnace the home might smell. The challenge is that you might not notice it yourself since you live in the home and don’t recognize the odor. Your carpets and drapes should be professionally cleaned prior to listing to avoid turning off buyers.
2) Over-priced homes: This might turn off buyers before they smell the house since some buyers won’t even bother coming in when they get the sticker shock. So, have a candid conversation with your real estate agent about their ability to sell at the price you have in mind.
3) Clutter and Mess: If you have lived in a house for a long time, you have a tendency to over-personalize the home that will make it difficult for buyers to imagine themselves living there. So, store away kids toys, crafts and clear the mess from your kitchen and closets. Take a trip to a storage or schedule garage sale. If you come across items that you have not used in more than 2 years donate them cause they could cost you sale now.
4) Deferred Maintenance: If there are too many items in your home that need maintenance and repairs the buyers will be turned off since they will be concerned that other major repairs have also been neglected. For instance, if 5 out of 6 shower heads are leaking then you need to fix them ALL. If all doors won’t close firmly and handles need repairs, you need to fix them.
Keep in mind that the more repair items that land on the buyer’s to-do-list, the less keen they will be to pay you top dollars on your home. So, spend a few weeks taking an inventory of items that need repair and get them fixed.
We do these for ALL our homes despite sellers insistence that it’s a lot deal. You should expect nothing less from your listing agent as well.