Do you still get butterflies in your stomach the first time you enter a house for a listing appointment? I know I sure do. You are going in well prepared with your charts, graphs, and the latest comps to land this listing. But before going over the goodies you have brought, you need to take a tour. Cue butterflies x 50. As the owner leads the way, highlighting the newest upgrades they made on the house, you are carefully listening with your ears, but you are evaluating with your eyes. Does the owner not see the water damage on the ceiling? Does the owner not notice the cracks in the molding, and what is that smell????
Yes, I think we've all been there, but for me, the opening of the closets is a terrifying experience. (play over-dramatic music here). I get that these people live in this house. I get that the closet is where we all put things we don't want others to see, and I know when you have guests over, they don't typically look inside your closets.
Unfortunately, prospective buyers are not only going to LOOK in your closets, they are going to examine every inch of it, and all those trophies you have been collecting since junior high soccer don't impress them at all. In fact, buyers see it as clutter taking up space because after all, WHERE are THEIR clothes and trophies going to fit???
So just a tip, once you wow your client with your colorful listing presentation, it's time to have "the talk". No, not the ones your parents had with you, but the one that says, it's time to get serious about selling this house, and that means doing some purging, storing, and donating things that otherwise make a fantastic walk-in closet look like a scene from an episode of Hoarders. Trust me, the buyers and the sellers will thank you....and who knows....it might even effect the sell price in a positive way for your clients and unlimately you too! :-)
Kim Fox
Pearland, Texas Specialist
832-499-4452
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