What is with the selling market? I’ve been online looking at homes for sale in the Orlando area. The price range is low – $120,000 to $150,000 — because I’m also checking out homes for my daughter, a single woman in search of her first home.
Unfortunately, she didn’t find anything she liked before the tax-credit qualification period ran out but it isn’t deterring her. What is hindering her, though, is the presentation of these homes! It’s amazing, she tells me, that the majority of these sellers don’t take the time or make the effort to make their homes presentable to possible buyers.
What are they thinking? Even though the recent National Association of Realtors’ monthly report stated the number of homes sold in April was up (probably boosted because of the rush to make the tax-credit deadline), it is still a buyer’s market! The supply is high, the demand is low–that’s a given in any market. Therefore, sellers have to take the initiative to do everything they possibly can to make their home a value in a potential buyer’s eye. And that first step is to get them to look at their home.
There were 91 homes listed in the area my daughter is interested in. I didn’t bother looking at any that did not have a photo, nor those with just an outside view — that made me wonder, what’s inside that they may be hiding? Then there were those that I wish wouldn’t have shown the insides! What is it with bright yellow and purple walls? Yep – those were the colors in one very nice-looking-from-the-outside house. How about deep royal blue walls in the kitchen? YIKES! These may be the personal tastes of these sellers and they may want to paint their next houses these colors – but if you want your house to sell, make it neutral in color. The cost invested will be well worth it.
Another turn off is clutter. One empty house had pictures of two different rooms with what looked like nails, extra tiles and construction materials all over the floors. One empty house showed a picture of the kitchen with the refrigerator door open and a towl hanging out of it. It would only take a few minutes to take the towel out of the door and close it or pick up the construction materials from the floor. Some still-lived-in homes had so much furniture and nick-nacks it was hard to see what the room looked like.
I wouldn’t waste my time making appointments to see any of these homes. Too bad, there goes another potential buyer just because of presentation.
Sellers must understand that their home is a huge investment – one that they made and one that a buyer will make. To get the most for their money, sellers have to make their homes look attractive, presenting it in such a way that any buyer could see herself living in that house – investing her hard-earned money in that house.