Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder, Except When You Are Selling Your Home

By
Real Estate Agent with (Metro First Realty)
Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder, Except When You Are Selling Your Home

It is sad but true, Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder, Except When You Are Selling Your Home. Here is why; there are some universal truths when you are trying to appeal to a large number of people and you must be mindful of this if you want to sell your home and pocket some serious cash.
house for sale
In no particular order here are some pitfalls to avoid:
1) While you may love your porcelain dog collection, your target buyer may not.
2) That yard art you lovingly placed, will look like clutter to your target buyer.
3) The wall paper you meticulously chose 12 years ago will appear dated to your target buyer.
4) The family pet who resides in your home will give off a doggy smell to your target buyer. We dog lovers become habituated to their smell.
5) The spare bedroom used to house your "extras" for jewelry making, scrap booking, etc. will detract from the fact you have a nice sized spare bedroom. Your buyer will only see a home with a junk bedroom.
6) The overgrown shrubs you think add character to your exterior will make your home appear dowdy and unkempt to your target buyer.
7) Toys strewn across your living area will detract from your great floor plan and turn off your target buyer.
8) Tons of family photos may be heart warming to you but distracting to your target buyer.
9) A refrigerator plastered with magnets, beloved artwork from your child and schedules will detract from the amenities your kitchen has to offer your target buyer.
10) The garage used to house "the beloved hot rod" that is a work in progress with grease stains on the concrete, will send the buyers right out the front door.

Selling your home is a small snapshot in time and keeping your home in tip top, non-cluttered shape will garner you a higher asking price when your buyer comes a knocking. While it may be inconvenient to "live" a certain way for this time period, you will thank your Real Estate Professional at the closing table. So when your Real Estate Professional says; Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder, Except When You Are Selling Your Home, you now know why.

 

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Comments (74)

Dana Smithers
PRES Staging Resource Centre - Vancouver, BC
PRES Staging Training, Redesign Training & Busines

Every home stager knows exactly what you are talking about. We have to be extremely tactful with our sellers so that they know we have their best interests at heart - which of course is getting a quick sale for top dollar. The beautry of being a home stager is that we can do the Move-In for them and give them a gorgeous new space using all of their personal collections, their furniture, their art - and get a WOW for them. Their home becomes as beautiful as the one we staged for them BUT it showcases their personal style!

Nov 05, 2011 05:21 AM
Kimo Jarrett
Cyber Properties - Huntington Beach, CA
Pro Lifestyle Solutions

Dittos for your list and all of the positive comments.

Nov 05, 2011 05:53 AM
Jennifer Chiongbian
Specializing in all types of Manhattan apts & townhouses - Manhattan, NY
Real Estate Broker - NYC

I love your title because it rings so true!  We have a little bit different issues when selling Manhattan apartments but it all boils down to the same thing in the end.

For instance, we don't have spare extra rooms that we can make into "junk rooms".  Property here is just way too expensive per sq ft.

Nov 05, 2011 06:07 AM
Jim Holder
HomeSmart Connect - Arlington Heights, IL
REALTOR EMERITUS, ABR,ePRO,CNC,SFR,

Yes, it's necessary to appeal to all the senses..

Nov 05, 2011 06:22 AM
Margaret Pereira
Moving Forward Home Staging & ReDesign - Mississauga, ON

Valerie found your article on "Sensational Home Staging" Facebook page. Great list and I totally agree with it.  My parents are thinking of selling their home in the near future and I am always telling my Mom that the porcelain doll collection and all her fridge magnets have to go but it is so difficult to get through to them that when your selling your home it's not about you and your tastes, its about making it inviting and appealing to a larger market.

Nov 05, 2011 08:41 AM
Gayle Barton, Forsyth County Real Estate
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY Georgia Properties - Cumming, GA
Cumming GA Homes For Sale (404) 710-0204

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Seller....  PLEASE LISTEN to the words of wisdom shared here.

Nov 05, 2011 10:04 AM
Lucien Vaillancourt
Native Sun Realty, Inc. - Jacksonville, FL
Jacksonville Florida Real Estate

Sellers will always ask me "what do you think we need to do to prepare the home for showing"?  After I tell them they seem amazed that buyers may not have the same taste they do.  It's always a challenge.

Nov 05, 2011 10:38 AM
Kate Akerly
Kaminsky Group - Manhattan Beach, CA
Manhattan Beach Residential Sales

I always tell sellers that they need to provide buyers with a canvas that they can paint their own vision on.

Nov 05, 2011 11:04 AM
Bob Miller
Keller Williams Cornerstone Realty - Ocala, FL
The Ocala Dream Team

Hi Valerie,  Great post and you are so right.  We all are different and all appreciate different things.

Nov 06, 2011 01:11 AM
Roger Newton
Roger Newton Real Estate - North Plains, OR

How about if the seller or tenant is a legal medical marijuana grower?  I have seen a couple of these in Oregon.

Nov 06, 2011 02:21 AM
Valerie Duncan Stewart
(Metro First Realty) - Oklahoma City, OK
Real Estate Agent-Broker, OKC, OK

Leslie: Thanks!

Carol: We are only on their side, often times as a cheerleader.

Marshall: It is the reduced dollars we see every time that would've been so easy to remedy.

Karen: I know, we should all be in a band!

Kathy: Tidying up my home is not always fun, such a universal truth for all!

Dana: Love that! Using a seller's own belongings gives them such a sense of pride. It's their stuff!!!!

Kimo: Gee, thanks!!!

Jennifer: New York, wow, bet that's a whole other world!

Margaret: Your mom is soo lucky to have you on her side guiding her through the process. Not easy paring down for anyone, especially moms! At least my mom. :)   Thanks to "Sensational Home Staging".

Jim: You said the operative words...all. The senses. Sounds like another idea for a blog.

Gayle: :D

Lucien: Funny how that works. I feel that way whenever I hear someone doesn't like Cinnamon!!! What?!!!!

Ackerly Real Estate Team: Beautifully said.

Bob: Yes indeed.

Roger: I first read your comment on my phone and busted out laughing, then re-read and saw it was legal medical marijuana! Yikes! How do you manage that? Still laughing

Nov 06, 2011 09:43 AM
Sebastian Barrett St.Troy
Austin Market-Ready Services, Home Staging and Real Estate - Austin, TX

Valeria, A list of very good points.  I especially like the one about Pets.  I instruct my clients that it is best if our beloved pets are removed from the home while the house is on the market and any pet odors removed.  If it's not possible to remove the pet, then I instruct them to at least remove them during showings.  I even have the Listing Agents sometimes take the sellers dog for a walk while another Agent is showing the home as part of their commitment to selling the home.

We love our pets, but when selling a home they can distract, scare, or annoy buyers and this point is often overlooked or ignored by REALTORS and sellers.  Thanks for talking about this subject.

Nov 06, 2011 06:43 PM
Dawn A Fabiszak
Private Label Realty ( Denver metro area, Colorado - Aurora, CO
The Dawn of a New Real Estate Experience!

Valerie ~ wonderful post with fabulous information.  So I guess my house is not as beautiful as I think??? lol

Nov 07, 2011 02:04 PM
Roger Newton
Roger Newton Real Estate - North Plains, OR

I don't know all of the legal details, but it is legal for some people to grow marijuana is Oregon.

I was in one house where they had a huge pot plant greeting you at the front entry like a palm tree.  Then they had a room full of lights and pot plants.

I worry about possible mold for the damp environment.

Nov 08, 2011 02:33 AM
Valerie Duncan Stewart
(Metro First Realty) - Oklahoma City, OK
Real Estate Agent-Broker, OKC, OK

Sebastian: THAT is an EXCELLENT idea! Having the Listing Agent take the dog for a walk is a superb idea. I will try to implement that practice in the future if I cannot accomplish any of the other suggestions to the seller. Yay!

Dawn: LOL!! Thank you AND I am positive my home isn't as beautiful to others as I think it is!!!

Nov 08, 2011 02:36 AM
Charles Stallions Real Estate Services
Charles Stallions Real Estate Services Inc - Gulf Breeze, FL
Buyers Agent 800-309-3414 Pace and Gulf Breeze,Fl.

Wow good post with lots of good comments and so right on and helpful too. Hopefully this will help a few sellers out as well.

Nov 25, 2011 02:20 PM
Valerie Duncan Stewart
(Metro First Realty) - Oklahoma City, OK
Real Estate Agent-Broker, OKC, OK

Joyce,

You are so right. Educating and assisting home owners make the right choices for a quick sell is what we are all here for.

Nov 26, 2011 03:42 AM
Valerie Sagheddu
Apostle Art Home Staging & Design - Stroudsburg, PA
~Home Staging Professional, Poconos, PA

So true Valerie...it is amazing how everyone thinks that everyone else will love their sponge painted purple walls, pumpkin orange dining roomand pink living room. One of the reasons I love my job...a taste of reality always presented with a touch of sugar!

Dec 04, 2011 12:27 AM
Valerie Duncan Stewart
(Metro First Realty) - Oklahoma City, OK
Real Estate Agent-Broker, OKC, OK

Valerie, ha ha. I remember when that sponge paint treatment was popular. I love the art of staging. You must really enjoy your job!!

Dec 04, 2011 07:29 AM
Sylvie Stuart
Realty One Group Mountain Desert 928-600-2765 - Flagstaff, AZ
Home Buying, Home Selling and Investment - Flagsta
Great list of things to avoid when listing your home. Buyers do pick up on these items. It's very important to pay attention to the little details when you are trying to sell your home in this market.
Jan 30, 2012 12:06 AM