Dirty Homes Don't Sell
Mr. and Mrs. Seller your home is dirty. Last week I was showing Charlottesville homes to some out of state clients. I made my appointments 48 hours out so all of the sellers would have plently of time to make sure that their home was at its best.
The first home we toured was dirty. We walked into the kitchen and the counters and kitchen table were covered with crumbs. More crumbs on the stove and on the floor. This set the stage for the showing. The entire house needed a going over with the vacuum. As we moved through the rest of the house my clients were concentrating on finding the things that were messy or unclean in each room. Until the final straw was the coat closet full of stuff piled in up to the bottom of the coats that looked like it was ready to come tumbling out when we opened the door. I kept trying to get them to focus on the floorplan, room size, and other features, but it wasn't going to happen.
Even though there was nothing wrong with the home that a good cleaning or a coat of paint couldn't fix, this home immediately went on the buyers "no" list.
With all of the inventory on the market, buyers have choices. Mr. and Mrs. Seller it is important that your Charlottesville home for sale is prepared so that it shows the very best that it possibly can. Don't sabotage yourself by not taking the time to wipe off the kitchen counters, vacuum and mop the floors. It may make the difference between an interested buyer or one who will go on to the next home on their list.
Copyright 2011 by Pam Dent, all rights reserved "Dirty Homes Don't Sell".
It goes without saying. You are right on targat, Pam. Dirty homes don't sell. (Or perhpas sell at much lower price than market value.)
Awesome posting Pam, I hope a lot of sellers read this and take heed,
Pam Very well stated. I am always amazed at the agents who take these listings - I jave not and will not I am suggesting for a feature
Pam - sometimes dirty homes do sell ..... to the savvy real estate purchaser who can see past the dirt and know they can get it cheaper because the sellers have limited their potential buyers by not putting their best foot forward
Praful - Condition strongly influences price if someone does make an offer.
Michael - I think some sellers are unable to realistically look at their own home.
Thank you Karen.
Kathy - At least the buyer probably will not have competing offers unless the asking price is low enough.