When you are selling your home, you want it to look it's very best. Much like when you are trying to impress company, or you are hoping to keep your house in top shape, it is time to put away the mess and shine things up. We have talked in this blog about staging, photography, and pricing your home competitively. Today's topic inspiration came from an article by Tara-Nicholle Nelson from the Trulia blog, 4 Ways to Hater Proof Your Listing. It was a very catchy title I saw in my email, but reading it made me think of something else. Just like the good friend who will tell you when you have something between your teeth, let me tell you about some things that might just make your listing go sour. The truth might hurt, but someone has to say it.
1. It smells funny. Whether it is pets, smoking, or just last night's dinner, you want to get all bad odors out of your house ASAP. It might just be a matter of getting the Glade plug ins (try something neutral, like eucalyptus). It might be a little more involved. There are companies that will come out and de-pet your house. You do need to follow up with that and temporarily house the pet somewhere else, but believe me, that could make all the difference in the world. You probably don't have a guest who will come over and tell you that your house smells like dog. But you better believe, if a potential buyer came through and noticed, they mentioned it to their agent.
2. It's overpriced. Like way overpriced. Not just a little high, within a little wiggle room of a fair market value. Pricing is a tricky thing. Ultimately, it is up to a seller to set the price. Your agent will guide you, show you comparables, and give suggestions, but in the end, the seller sets the price. Hopefully you have an honest agent who will tell you the truth if your number is too big. If houses don't sell, it is typically price or condition. If your house is in good condition, it might be time to look again at the price. Also remember that at the end of the day, even if someone is willing to pay you above market value for your home, their bank is only going to lend them what the house appraises for.
3. Your house is messy. I have three kids, a dog and two cats. Believe me, I understand how quickly a house can get messy. Your job as a house seller is to keep that mess under control. Dirty dishes shouldn't be in the sink. Mail can be stacked up and stuck neatly in a drawer, but not on the counter. Look for the everyday clutter you are used to working around and get rid of it. You do not need to be a professional organizer to do this. You would do just as well for the sale of your house to do a good job of hiding it instead.
People will open your closets, your drawers and maybe even your dishwasher. This shocked me. I don't know why. I guess on House Hunters they don't do that, but real people are nosy. Put it somewhere else instead if you were trying to hide it. Rubbermaid tubs are great for this. So is your car. Here's my dirty little secret - more than once, I had dirty dishes, laundry, or mail piled in a laundry basket in my car because we had a showing. As long as that car isn't in the garage, no one will know. Do whatever it takes, just get it out of your house!
4. Your DIY wasn't as perfect as you thought. Buyers will notice a lot of little things about a house. It's true that maybe your furnace has been inspected regularly, your plumbing is up to date, and you repainted your master bedroom. But look around at the little things. Maybe your tile floors aren't even. Maybe you are missing a couple of pieces of trim in your laundry room. Look around your house with fresh eyes, and do everything you can to correct those little flaws. Little things have a tendency to become big things to your buyers, especially if they are not very "handy" themselves.
So there you go. Sometimes the truth hurts. But someone had to tell you!
Jennifer
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