Would You Buy Your House? Let's Go For an Out of Body Experience.

Congratulations on the feature Charita. W I agree with J on including it in my listing presentation. ill have to bookmark this post. 

I built my house 3 years ago so it has everything I wanted.  Would I buy it again?  Yes but I also know that I would have to make some improvements to sell it.  Even though, it's only 3 years old.  For example, I didn't put granite in the kitchen or master bath.  I have corian.  It was a personal preference, but I would have to change that before selling.  I'm always surprised when I go into an owner/agent listing.  I expect it to be in top-notch condition; neutral paint, clean, de-cluttered.  Most of the time, they're the worst homes on the market and usually over-priced.  Doesn't speak very well of our profession.

Charita - You Betcha! We have built every house we have owned so its not a fair question for us. I love the premise of your post thought, its spot on!

This is your million-dollar point--one that I try to emphasize to sellers continually!

"Buyers may view lack of updates as a sign that you've neglected other areas of the home.  They may feel that they've got their work cut out for them"

Great timing!  I am preparing to put my home on the market and I am definitely my own worst critic.  :-)  As an agent, you want your home to look like a showcase, sell in less than a week, etc.  The pressure!

Charita:  I believe we think alike on this.  You must have considered this question YOURSELF, or you would not have put it out there in this post.   I've thought this many times.   My house is only 7 years old and I am always thinking of improving it and fixing it, I guess it is that Realtor mentality working 24/7.

I think this is an excellent suggestion  for anyone who wants  to sell their home, Charita. It’s a great reality check.

Great thought provoking q's.  Seems like a great checklist for realtors as well as stagers.  I'll try to remember this when some of my customers want to fix up their floors and bring me in for an estimate to figure out whether it's worth it.

Charita, Congrats on the well-deserved buzz. Excellent blog. I have had this question backfire when a seller says "yes" and they just simply have blinders on. It always helps to discuss this question with a seller so they can try to be objective and see what the house needs to get it sold.

Charita - great questions for sellers to ask themselves before putting their home on the market.  Tends to give the sellers a bit more perspective on what their home may need to appeal to a buyer.

I need some "good grass" -- of the lawn variety.  HA HA HA HA HA HA HA   :-)

I often have to add one more question when they start nodding "yes" when I ask if they would even visit, yet alone buy, their overpriced house: "Well, would you use YOUR OWN MONEY to do that with?" They usually smile.

We must remember that we are *agents* of sellers. We owe them our best advice et al. We can't make them think/act rationally/logically, but we can walk away when they refuse to be reasonable, can't we?

Charita, You pose a great question and it's a great way to get the sellers to get realistic about their price. Show them actual comps and ask them if they were house hunting how much they would pay for their house.

Love your post, Charita! What a great way to help the sellers think from a buyer's perspective. I like your suggestion for a seller to ask a trusted friend, but even more so these questions can help a seller "get real". I'm definitely going to use this on my next listing presentation.