5 Crazy Things That May Be Making Your House “Un-Buyable”

Subscribe

 Print This

In my recent adventures working with several buyers looking for homes, I have seen a few things that have been a little offensive, disturbing (to both me and my buyers) and even a little scary!

Whether you are a listing agent or a seller, there are several little things you can do to make your house look better than the thousands of others that are undoubtedly for sale in your city.

#1  Excorcise the “Pet Cemetary” in the back yard.  Yep, seriously.  I showed a foreclosure the other day and in the back yard is a little wooden cross with a name on it.  My buyer did not feel comfortable with that AT ALL.  She liked the house enough that she has gone to contract on it anyway, but she still asks what she’s supposed to do about the “grave.”  I hope you realize that some people would have seen that, and based on their personal beliefs, not purchased that home.  Period.  Tip:  Talk to the seller about removing.  (I just thought of something!  I hope is was a pet, and not the ex-husband!)

#2  Your home should be inviting and friendly, but NOT “420 Friendly”  Last year someone responded to one of my Craigslist postings for a rental and asked if we were “420 Friendly” and since I didn’t know what that meant, I Googled it.  It means is ok with Marijuana Smokers in the house.  Last week I went to meet with a potential listing, and in one of the teenager’s rooms painted in black high gloss paint were the numbers 420 on the wall.  I don’t know if the father knows what that means or not, but I told him it needs to go (as well as all of the pictures of girls in g-strings hanging on the wall.

#3  Don’t make us feel uncomfortable if you’ll be home during a showing.  A few weeks ago we had an appointment to see a house and I had been told that the parent and child were home sick (but it was ok to show).  When I knocked on the door, nobody answered, so I thought they had gone out to leave the home empty for us.  When I came in I even called out “Hello!  Anybody Home?” and there was no answer.  We walked all around the downstairs and the back yard and then when we went upstairs, we heard someone moving around in one of the bedrooms that had the door closed and the hall bath had the door closed and the light and fan were obviously on.  We felt very uncomfortable and left quickly.  Tip:  If your seller will be home at a showing, coach them on how to act:  Answer the door politely and just tell the agent/buyer that you will be in the back yard/living room/whereever if they have any questions.

#4  Go Gators!!!! But not when selling your home.  Take down things like collegiate and pro team paraphernalia (what if your buyer is for the “Other” team?  we don’t want ANYTHING to turn them off of your home), Political references (same reason), and “stuffed animals” like deer heads on the wall and mounted fish (some people are highly offended by these items, not me, but I’m not willing to risk a sale over it!).  Tip:  When I list a property, I walk through the house and point out everything that I would like to see packed away.  I explain to the seller my reasoning behind it, and they are usually just fine with the idea once explained.

One listing I previewed for my clients via photos in the MLS has a bonus room (converted garage) that the photo had every inch of the walls with beer signs and other posters and a pool table in the middle of the room.  Hanging over the pool table was:  a taxidermy shark with a skull in it’s mouth and a rebel flag on the ceiling.  I don’t know of anybody that would look at that picture and say “Honey, let’s go look at that one…it really looks nice!”

#5  What’s that smell?  2 weeks ago we had an appointment to show a property and the sellers were leaving the home before we got there.  When I walked in I was slapped in the face with the strongest perfume smell in the world.  Not air-freshener, PERFUME!  I think the seller had walked around the house and sprayed perfume right before they left.  Great!  I know you want your home to smell good, but remember, many people are allergic or sensitive to perfumes!  They can’t look at your house if their eyes are watering and they have to leave the house to sneeze!  Tip:  Coach your sellers.  Vanilla seems to be a fragrance that smells good and most people are not affected by.  My favorite is the plug-ins or the oil-plug ins in the vanilla fragrance.

Hopefully you read these 5 tips and say “Duhhhh” but obviously there are at least 5 realtors out there that need to read this (and maybe you have someone you’d like to forward it to!)