Houses are flying off the market right? There’s no inventory. You can sell a house just by putting a sign in the yard. Right? No. The flawless houses are flying off the market. There are plenty that are still just sitting there. Why? Mainly because Realtors are just too nice to say what’s wrong.
Well, we’re not so here’s the dirt!
1. Mr. Fix It
Why the heck would anyone want to fix your rotted windows, your leaning fence or replace your stained carpet and refinish your scratched floors? Buyers want a move-in-ready casa. They are not interested in a project! Here’s a secret. A buyer always thinks a repair is two to three times the actual cost.
2. Location, Location, Location
If your house is on a busy street, put your money into landscaping the front to hide the street! No one is going to notice your gorgeous remodeled kitchen or fabulous staging if the main view is cars whizzing by.
3. The Pet Set
We are pet lovers at daltxrealestate.com. That is the sum total of it. Candy’s daughter, Cassie, lives and breathes rescue. We love, love, love our pets. But when you’re selling that house, no one wants to see, hear, or smell your beloved fur baby. This week alone we’ve encountered dogs of every size, parrots and cats. People have allergies, and some are so are fearful when they hear a bark they won’t bother to even enter your house.
4. Brassy Isn’t Classy
If we see one more brass-accented bathroom we may just faint and only a slug of a really good Pinot and a bar of 70 percent cacao will revive us. It’s just not that hard or expensive to change outdated tub, faucet, and light fixtures.
5. Put on your Date Face!
That front door is the face of your house. No one wants to see your sweaty gym face, they want your date face. Your front door is an indicator of what’s on the other side. If it looks great, the buyer cannot wait to enter. It’s totally worth the effort to put a fresh coat of paint on your front door and add updated hardware.
6.The Big Bad Screen
Honestly someone do the math for correct viewing distance. That TV is going with you and the gigantic scar it leaves in your wall is not something anyone wants to repair and paint. They want YOU to repair and paint. Stream Netflix on your laptop and store the enormous screen.
7. Lawn Lust
“People will buy my house because of the yard.” Get real. This is Dallas. No one pays for the yard. It’s a bonus, sure, if you garden or have pets and kids but when you get properties over a million, they are not purchasing for your yard! If a buyer in the multiple million category wants wide-open spaces they have a RANCH!
That yard may not sell your house but it can crater a sale. No one wants to see your yard art and they definitely do not want to step over evidence of your lovely animals when exploring that yard. Buyers are thinking “Party Yard!” not “Ugh, I need a pooper scooper.” So keep the yard clean, trimmed, edged, and mowed.
8. Popcorn Belongs at the Movies
It does not belong on a ceiling. Popcorn ceilings … yes they have to go. Popcorn does not denote flawless. This is an easy, albeit messy, update. Do it.
9. Pack the Pictures, Please!
It’s just a fact. No one wants to see your bridal photo over the mantle. No one wants to see the collage of your newborn on the wall. Do you know what happens? People not only cannot visualize themselves in the house because your photos are all over the place, they also get distracted. They ask your Realtor, “Oh wow, where did she get that wedding dress? My daughter is getting married and I really think she’d look good in that style”. They also say, “Oh can you get the name of the photographer that shot those cute baby photos?” Guess what they remember about your house? They remember your gorgeous photographs. They do not remember your hardwood floors, your great open kitchen or your fantastic master bathroom. Remembering those darling photos are not going to sell your home. Pack the pictures.
10. Dirt
We don’t mean the inside skinny, we mean grime, muck, stains, filth, crud, you get it. It doesn’t sell. No one wants to buy a dirty house. Spic-and-span inside and out is the rule.
Karen Eubank is the owner of Eubank Staging and Design. She has been an award-winning professional home stager for more than 25 years. She’s been a professional writer for 20 years. Karen is the mother of a son who’s studying music at The University of Miami. An ardent animal lover, she doesn’t mind one bit if your fur baby jumps right into her lap. Find Karen at www.eubankstaging.com
