How many times did I hear this saying while growing up? LOTS. But usually this statement was made to me by my Mom when it to dating. Those words still ring true today especially when it comes to looking to purchase a home.
As a realtor, I do tell my sellers that buyers DO judge a home by the exterior BUT I tell my buyers that even if the exterior doesn't match what they would consider desirable, that they still need to look at the home-this could be the only issue with the home. I know this from personal experience! I have lived in my current home for over 20 years.
Back in 1983 when the agent drove us up in the driveway of our current home, my husband said "no way was he getting out of the car". The agent told Rick (my husband) that we needed to see the house since the appointment had already been scheduled and the homeowners had prepared their home for our showing. The home was similar to Frank Lloyd Wright architecture with the flat roof and was painted ugly Florida green; the bushes looked like they hadn't been trimmed in years. Well, we walked in and the first thing my husband said was WOW! The house did need some work, but the lake views were to die for. We walked throughout the home several times that day. When we came home for the evening, we sat down and wrote out our list. Yes, the home had everything that we wanted but,Oh Goodness, the exterior was something else. We ended up purchasing this home and have a lot of wonderful memories.
The first thing we did after we closed on our new home, was hire a landscaper to clear out all of the overgrowth and there was so much overgrowth, that after the landscaper was done, our next door neighbor came over and told us he never knew there was another entrance into the house! Painting the exterior of the home changed everything about the house. My husband even began falling in love with the exterior of the home!
In today's World of of foreclosures and vacant homes, it is very easy to miss a "diamond in the rough" by not getting over the exterior of a home. The vacant homes have been neglected on the outside, but the exterior may have everything and more than you were hoping for. So, if your agent has scheduled a showing for a home and when you drive up you think to yourself "yuck." Trust your agent. They chose this house for a reason. They may know something about this home that you can't see by the online photo or description.
Yes, it looks like Mother knows best and was right when she told me "You can't judge a book by its cover!" Happy House Hunting!
Call Marvelous Mary to help you with your real estate needs! 810.844.2280
Comments(0)