Are you a buyer who sees the Right Now, or What Might Be? Is your crystal ball working?
Rare is the buyer who finds the resale home that is a perfect move-in ready match just the way it is!
Just like buyers, home sellers have diverse tastes and likes. You like blue, they like green. Some sellers will try to neutralize to minimize the distractions, others will take the attitude that "I love my home JUST the way it is!".
If THEIR WAY includes deep burgundy paint in one room, 1970's vintage wallpaper in the kitchen and solid black walls in their teenager's Goth decorated room, are you the type of buyer who can overlook these cosmetic features?
Can you see the floor plan and decide if the home has good "bones" that will serve your family for years to come? Can you picture the home after a few weekends of elbow grease and a few gallons of paint, no evidence that the previous sellers ever lived there?
We're not saying overlook the essentials! If you need a basement, or an attached garage and there isn't one...well neither is easily addressed if the home doesn't have those features. But can you look past the superficial things that you CAN change?
If you can, the perfect home may be right in front of you!
If you need help finding that perfect home in Warren County Ohio, please contact The Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite!
Hope your week is off to a great start!
Liz and Bill aka BLiz
La Quinta, CA
The Lori Bowers Group
I have buyers rate the homes as we view them on a scale of 1 -10 with 10 being perfect. I tell them ahead of time if we find an 8, that is usually as good as it gets.
Oct 18, 2010 07:43 AM
The Top Team @ Charles Rutenberg Realty 255 Executive Dr, Plainview NY 11803 - Plainview, NY
Long Island Condo and Home Specialists
So true Liz & Bill. We always remind clients/customers to look beyond paint colors and furnishings and picture they own belongings at this new address!
Oct 18, 2010 07:45 AM
Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH
Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs
Lori, Sounds like you've got a good system in place! You could spend years looking for that 10 and never find it!
Larry and Sheila, Admittedly, having to repaint or take down wall paper is not a lot of fun for most people, but if gets you the otherwise right home in the right location, why not go for it?
Oct 18, 2010 07:47 AM
Chain Real Estate Investments & Mortgage, Steve & Joel Chain - Cottonwood, CA
Liz & Bill,
I agree with you;You can "cure" right location/wrong paint far easier than wrong location/right paint.
Have a great week!
Steve
Oct 18, 2010 07:53 AM
Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH
Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs
Steve, Not much can cure the wrong location...well maybe 20 years of neighborhood changes might get it there! :)
Oct 18, 2010 07:59 AM
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers
So true. The cosmetics of paint/wallpaper (and even flooring/stain color) can be easily changed. It is really hard for many to envision this, so it's good that you guys can help them see beyond this.
Oct 18, 2010 10:07 AM
Cotati, CA
Independent Broker In Sonoma County, CA
Groan ... did you have to bring up my deep burgundy accent wall? You missed the deep green one in the next room. If you stand in just the right spot, you can take in both of them at the same time. Not my idea ... it just wasn't worth an argument :)
Oct 18, 2010 10:10 AM
Private Label Realty ( Denver metro area, Colorado - Aurora, CO
The Dawn of a New Real Estate Experience!
L & B ~ I do the same thing as Lori. As we go from house to house, if they liked house A over house B, then when we get to house C, we compare it to house A; always narrowing down the prospects.
Oct 18, 2010 11:40 AM
Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH
Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs
Debbie, For some buyers, exactly what they see is all it can be. We don't twist arms, but do try to make clear what could be done with relatively little effort.
Cynthia, Merry Christmas decorating scheme perhaps?? Some things just aren't worth the fight...at least not until it's time to put the home on the market :)
Dawn, We've seen that too...everything gets compared to the best of what they've seen until they go back to it, or find something better....or if they delay too long...someone ELSE buys it!
Oct 18, 2010 12:54 PM
BlueCoast Realty Corporation - Wilmington, NC
Broker - Wilmington NC and Surrounding Beaches
Liz & Bill ~ Sorry I'm so late coming to the party -- it's been a heck of a few long days! Thank goodness! I normally give my Buyers a clipboard, paper and pen and ask them to write their notes as we go and once we've seen each one, try to rate one, two, three . . . seems to work pretty well. Had to push the button!
Oct 18, 2010 02:39 PM
Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH
Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs
Tish, Thanks...figured you were swamped! Also have an appearance from Miss Bad Manners this morning, so a little fun for you too :)
Oct 18, 2010 02:57 PM
Dilbeck Real Estate - Burbank, CA
Liz and Bill - You won't believe this. Paint and obvious things really stick out. I showed a 17,000 square foot home the other day. In taking the tour ALL the walls were white white white. Ever single room until the last. Bamm pink pink pink. It was so obvious that we now refer this mansion to the big home with the pinkpink room.
On the other hand I wish people could get beyond the flooring, old tile, acoustic ceiling, wallpaper on one of my listings. Make it your own. Change it. Sorry a rant there.
Oct 18, 2010 04:12 PM
Chris Alston (Keller Williams Realty, Silicon Valley, California) - Campbell, CA
Silicon Valley, California
It is so true! Maybe asking them if they want to make an offer on each property they see... Some of the comments rock too! :)
Oct 18, 2010 05:37 PM
Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH
Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs
Ken, That's one of the occasionally frustrating things. Not ever seller can or will address the cosmetics...unfortunately the buyer's deductions for these fixes may be much greater than the actual costs.
Although we haven't toured any 17000 sq ft homes (not sure we have many of those around here), have encountered homes where the buyers thereafter refer to them by some feature we saw and we all know which one they meant!
Chris, We usually don't ask them about offers, when it's THE ONE, it generally becomes clear pretty quickly.
Oct 18, 2010 10:44 PM
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Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs
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REALTORS(R). Serving Warren County Ohio and adjacent areas from Cincinnati to south Dayton. Observing and reporting on real estate and related topics to help your quality of life!
And if you're asking where is Warren County Ohio? We fill the space between Cincinnati and Dayton. Perfect for enjoying the bigger cities without living in them. Places like Mason, Lebanon, Springboro, Waynesville, Franklin and more. Plus lots of rural properties available too. We work with both residential home buyers and sellers and have extensive knowledge of low maintenance living options (patio homes, condos, etc.).
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