Taking You from the View

We have all heard the advice about taking down the family photos and university degrees that adorn the walls and book shelves in our homes.  Sellers want to know why.   You, the Seller, may have a very specific job that you do from the home.  Again, it would be wise to pack away as much about this work is as possible.

A few years ago, I had a Buyer who had very fussy tastes (and why not, houses cost a lot of money).  She looked at everything in a home, whether it was included in the sale or not.  At one home, which would have been perfect for her needs, she saw a wedding photo on the book shelf.  As in all other homes, she stopped to take a look and then was shocked to find that she knew the people in the photo.  That was the end of that house as a possibility.  There was no way she could live in the home of the children of her friends. She felt she was invading their privacy by being in that house.  Case in point - remove photos and degrees.

Later that year, I had another client who was also very keen to see everything in a house.  He saw a pile of papers on the kitchen table that was the deal the Sellers had made for their new home.  I tried to steer him away from the kitchen but he had had enough time to know where they were moving, possession date and the offer.  This knowledge is usually important to keep private as it reveals the haste some Sellers have in terms of a sale of their home.

Finally, and this was so interesting, a couple I knew who were in the legal business were out with me looking for a new home.  In one very well appointed place, the husband (who seemed to be humouring his wife by helping her shop for their new home) went to the lower level.  There he saw a set up for a home-based business that he knew to be about document identification.  He must have spent the whole time in that house looking at the tools that the owner had out.  All the documents (thank goodness) were behind a very big metal doored safe.  Still, my Buyer stopped even being remotely interested in the house and only in the business. 

Oh yes, while not my personal experience, there is the story of the Buyers who looked at a house where the Seller was operating a home-based dog grooming business.  It was clear from all of the paraphernalia, the sink, the grooming tables and the disposal bins that this business was still in operation.  The Sellers had a thing about cleanliness and allergies.   The booking stopped in that room.

When you have your home for sale, as much as you can, remove the you from the house.

Photo credit:  Grooming Expo 2006-DSC-0141

 

Valerie Zinger 

email: vzinger@royallepage.com  (613-723-5300)

Royal LePage Gale Real Estate,  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada