Buyer Turn-offs
Today's buyer is sophisticated, discriminating and wants only the best their money can buy. If your home is not selling, maybe it is turning off potential buyers without you even realizing it. Here are some of the biggest buyer turnoffs that will keep the "For Sale" sign in your yard:
1. Clutter - Having too much “stuff” around causes the buyer to focus on everything except for the house. Get rid of things you haven't used in six months or more and store items offsite that you can live without until you get into your new home.
2. Unpainted and Poorly Painted Walls - Unpainted walls leave a home feeling cold and uncomfortable. Walls with poor paint jobs scream lack of maintenance. Warm up the walls with soft, neutral colors - and pay attention to your painting - it's all in the prep work.
3. Unattractive or Dated Colors, Wallpaper and Borders - Purple passion may be a great color for your 4-year old daughter, but will the majority of homebuyers like it? No Way!
4. Worn-out Carpeting - Dingy, stained carpet is a huge deal killer. If you can't afford to replace it at least have it professionally cleaned.
5. Outdated Appliances and Fixtures - Today's buyers want modern amenities, no matter how old the house is. Investing a little money in updating these items will reap huge returns.
6. Bad Smells - Whether it be from smoking, pets, or cooking if a buyer can smell it you can't sell it. Invite a friend over who can honestly tell you if there are odors in your home. When you live there day in and day out your nose becomes immune to the smells.
7. A Dirty Home - No one wants to move into someone else's dirt. Clean your home so well that it passes the "white glove" test. If you don't have the time or desire, please hire a professional cleaning crew to do the job for you. They are efficient and definitely worth the money.
If you really want to get top dollar for your home, consider hiring a professional home stager. Home staging is a tried and true method of highlighting the best features of your property while appealing to a large number of buyers. By focusing on strategic furniture placement, de-cluttering, organizing, de-personalizing, color selection, and accessorizing a home stager can turn your home into a showplace that will yield a higher offer in a quicker amount of time.
If you prefer to do your own work and have the time then I would suggest having a consultation done. This gives you a written guide to follow to prepare your home for sale. It includes a follow-up and quick touch ups for your MLS listing pictures and open house.
Planning ahead makes all the difference in timing of a sale and offers coming. Do your home work and be ready. It’s not magical but rather pure common sense. It would be much nicer to do the preparation rather than reduce the price by hundreds or thousands of dollars. There is no comparison money-wise between staging and reducing your price.
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