Someone PLEASE Make Me Stop Cleaning This Northern Virginia Short Sale
I had to chuckle when I saw this post. It reminded me of of my warning to buyers "Whatever You Do Don't Open That Door". There is something that draws buyers to open a fridge even when their spidey senses tell them they shouldn't.
Kudos to Chris Ann for going the extra mile to try and clean this mess up. Fortunately it sounds as if she was saved by an offer.
Northern Virginia Short Sale Listing Agents like myself see homes in all kinds of conditions. There are those that are pristine. You can't believe someone LIVES there. They keep their home neat as a pin. It's like a model. Then there are those that show that the owners have literally thrown their hands in the air and given up. Why clean up spills on the carpet? Why repaint walls? Why change an air filter?
Little maintenance items left undone add up when it comes to selling a Northern Virginia Short Sale. And when I say they add up, ultimately, that means a lower list price will be needed to entice an offer. Especiallly when a refrigerator has been left closed, with food inside, while power has been turned off for three weeks or more. That's not a pretty picture. The mold eventually works its way out to the floor.
I showed up in a sweat suit with cleaning gear to tackle some of the problem. I was convinced that no one would want to be IN the home, let alone write an offer on it. Shoot, I was wearing a mask to shield my nose and mouth. Yet there were already three business cards on the counter and it had only been on the market for less than twenty-four hours. And there was a Buyer's Agent, knocking on the door to ask me to stop cleaning.
WHAT?
Well, I must say the Buyer's Agent might as well be whispering sweet nothings in my ear. He handed me an offer...a very good cash offer, and said, "If you leave the debris and trash, the BPO agent is more likely to see the issues and give it the value needed." Good point.
I took off the mask covering my nose and mouth, shut the front door and went over the offer with the Buyer's Agent and Buyer on the front steps to the home. I told them things that would not need to be changed later if they changed them now. Things like the Seller not being responsible for removing debris before Settlement. Or that the utlities being turned on will be the responsibility of the Buyer, if needed for inspections. This Buyer wanted the house so bad I couldn't believe it. Yet there is a pristine Short Sale I have that a Buyer can't see the value in.
So, changed offer in hand, I packed up my cleaning supplies and headed out. Thank goodness someone was able to stop me from cleaning out that refrigerator. And I was shocked to get home and see there was yet another offer on the moldy refrigerator house. Go figure. And I thought I'd have to clean.
Chris Ann Cleland, Realtor- Licensed in Virginia, GRI, SFR, Northern Virginia Short Sale Specialist. Affiliated with Long & Foster, 7526 Limestone Drive, Gainesville, VA 20155. To contact Chris Ann, call 703-402-0037 or email chrisann@LNF.com. Or you can visit her website: www.nvarealestate.net.
Header photo is Lake Manassas in Gainesville, VA taken by Chris Ann Cleland.
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