How many times have you heard "I do not want to buy this house because of...the carpet, or the paint, or it looked or smelled bad?"  Something like these which could be quickly or easily remedied.

The first thing I do before opening the door on the first home I show with a new client, is to talk about "The Difference between Skin & Bones".

"Skin are the things you can change easily...floor covering, wall coverings, the way people keep house, even the smells in the house.  Peoples furnishings.  They are going to take them with them anyway."

Then I say...
"Bones are the things you can't change.  Road noise, powerlines, school districts and the floorplan.
Then there are the things that are in between like granite countertops, moving a wall in a bedroom etc." (It depends on the client as to how much I say here because some just want "move in".)

"So, when we are walking thru the home and I hear you say that you just could not live in a home with this the emerald green carpet, you will here me say"Skin & Bones"."

It always gets a chuckle and usually it helps them get past some of the minor issues and concentrating on the important things.