Deal Killers
Jul. 20, 2018 | Written by: Lori
Right now, the real estate market is a “seller’s market” meaning there are more buyers looking to buy houses than there are houses on the market to sell. But just because houses are being sold almost as soon as they hit the market, doesn’t mean sellers don’t have to do their part to make their house appealing to buyers. There are certain deal breakers, no matter what kind of market it is. Here are a few to be aware of:
· Does your house need major repairs? If you want to sell your house you will need to have the repairs made or be willing to seriously negotiate on the price. Unless you are an investor who flips houses, most buyers do not want to deal with a house that will require a lot of time and money just to make it livable.
· Pet stains and odors are an immediate turn off. While most of the time these can be remediated, it leaves a bad first impression of the home. Many times, pet odors require more than just installing new carpeting. Sometimes floors must be sanded and resealed or replaced altogether.
· How does your front yard look? Is the grass and landscaping dead or overgrown with weeds? Not good. Once again, it’s a bad first impression of your home. Take the time to make your yard as appealing as possible.
· Do you have carpeting in your bathrooms or kitchen? It’s time to get rid of it. Yuck.
· Having messy and over stuffed closets and drawers makes your house appear as though there’s not enough storage space. Go through your house and start organizing. Pick a drawer or closet and get rid of things you don’t use or need anymore. Buyers will open closets and drawers so make them as neat and organized as possible.
· Do you have outdated brown wall paneling in your family room? Is your living room painted in your favorite purple color reminiscent of Barney? Not good. Many buyers will not have the vision and be able to look beyond some of these outdated and/or tacky design choices. Sometimes even just a fresh coat of neutral paint makes a world of difference. Get to it!
Even in a seller’s market sellers shouldn’t just sit back and do nothing. If you want to get top dollar for your home, it’s time to start looking around your house for these deal killers and do what you can to fix them.