Buyers Are You Buying a House Or the Sellers Taste in Decor

It seems so simple, doesn't it, yet it is often so difficult to get across in reality.  It's a message that does need to be repeated over and over...and sometimes more than once or twice!  Excellent reminder!

You are so right Charita, but sometimes, the decor is an unfortunate distraction.  

Charita-It is interesting to hear Buyers comment on items that belong to Sellers that will not convey and have no impact on the sale. But they can use this items as reasons not to make an offer.

Absoultely sound advice which is why I hit suggest!  Great graphic too . . . yes, I actually do like the Russian Baroque Classical Renaissance Moroccan Flooring Italian lighting decor!!  

A good designer knows a room should have something beautiful about it even when it's completely empty. And I agree, a well staged home can make or break a sale for those who can't look beyond it.

Exactly. You are buying the space, land and structure of the home, not the stuff. I tell buyers they will be painting pretty much where ever they buy.  

Often buyers will say that they can look past things in a house, when they really can't.  I did have a client who admitted that one of the reasons she chose a house was because she loved the way the seller had decorated it.  You sometimes see beautiful homes with old worn furniture, and homes that need some TLC, but are beautifully decorated. 

"A home where I can drop a jigzaw puzzle on the floor and find all the pieces."

I guess the floor will have to be replaced!

Charita - You are so right.  However, so many people have trouble seeing past this.  It's important to remind them - and many times. - Debbie

Charita, I don't disagree with you at all. However, some people lack vision. I had a buyer last year who pooh-poohed every  listing I showed her. She didn't see herself living in any of the homes. Then, one came on the market that was similar to her decorating style. It had blue rugs, blue drapes, blue everywhere. Guess what her home looked like? You got it, blue everywhere. Even though, this home wasn't much different than the other homes they looked at, she immediately connected with it. I suspect it was the decor. Silly, I know but true.

Excellent point!  With more and more sellers opting for professional home staging, some of these homes look superb.  However, none of these things stay.  It can be hard for a buyer to look past the beauty...

I find that most buyers we work with want to see something that they can change and make their own.  If everything is perfect, the odd effect occurs, in that the buyer has nothing to add to make it their own and they sometimes shy away from it even though it meets all of their tastes.

Charita

This is so true. It still surprises me that so many buyers get distracted by decor and paint to the point where they can't see the house and decide to move on. These things are so easy to take care of, for the most part. But it is testimony to what we all know about decluttering, staging and paint. Many buyers CAN'T look beyond it, or won't

Jeff

I'm always amazed when I walk into a house and find the buyers spending more time talkinga about the furniture and paint colors than the house itself.

Charita, buyers could be in for a lot of disappointment if they are looking for a seller with their tastes, or if they are criticing a sellers decor.  It's more than likely going to change when they buy. So there is no sense in incorporating the sellers tastes into the decision making process.  Buyers do it though, don't they.

Definitely both exist for me even as a stager and Feng Shui consultant.

Charita- well said... SOmetimes it is hard to get past the seller's taste in furniture ... You can poitely suggest to them to change certain thigs  but it can be hadr...

Thanks for adding humor in your post.  Buying a home does take a little imagination.  Buyers ought to know that the seller's tastes in home decor will very rarely mimic theirs!