When a Seller decides to move, the house isn’t new anymore; but to a new Buyer, the house is new.

Expectations can be different, depending on who’s the Buyer; and who’s the Seller. So how does this work in practice? Most Buyers and Sellers are cooperative, but there can be some who are more of a challenge than others. A lot of the buying/selling experience can be traced back to the attitude of the buyers and sellers. For example:

FROM THE BUYER’S PERSPECTIVE WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

• The Buyer is moving to a new location.
• The Buyer may be a new/first-time Home Buyer.
• The Buyer will tell everyone he/she bought a new house.
• To the Buyer, the experience of buying a home is new.

FROM THE SELLER’S PERSPECTIVE WITH A NEGATIVE ATTITUDE

• Why bother putting in new stuff when the Buyer may not like it?
• I'm not putting in anything else new - I'm done!
• This house isn't new, if the Buyer wants a new house, let them buy new construction.
• I'm not moving to a new house or putting anything into storage until I know the Buyer wants to buy this one.

SELLING IS ALL ABOUT ATTITUDE

New means something different to different people. Buying new should be alluring to the Buyer. At the very least, a home should be clean, uncluttered, free of dirt, dust free, no scuff marks or dirty dishes, no unmade beds, no broken fixtures and/or appliances; absolutely no undisclosed defects, such as stained countertops, floors, etc. No smelly trash cans or dirty clothes on the floor. Every room should be light and bright enough to see clearly (with natural light and no burnt out light bulbs). The consumer has a right to see what they are willing to buy. A well-maintained home that appears to have everything functioning in good condition is very appealing and desirable. Always remember, to a new and hungry buyer, one spot could mean no – let’s go somewhere else.  

Most Buyers don’t want to use the home owner’s bathroom, but there are times when it’s a necessity. A dirty toilet, sink, mirror, towels, floors, vanities, and tub can be a turn-off. A two-car garage should look like a two-car garage and not a warehouse filled from top to bottom with furniture and boxes. Buyers aren’t dumb. If they see all that stuff inside the garage, they may think the house isn’t big enough for them because it’s obvious, the stuff in the garage came out of the house for showing purposes.

The importance of selling/buying a new (pre-existing) home can’t be stressed enough. A clean and desirable, untouched home, free of debris is very attractive. The worst offenses include:

• Negligence
• Pet Odors
• Inability to go into the backyard because of a dog (owner sees family pet; buyer sees killer instinct.)
• Food Odors
• Trash cans in the kitchen filled with trash
• Personal/unmentionable garments
• Sticky/dirty finger marks
• Dirty oven
• Obvious items in need of repair
  
  

Trying to live in a home while the home is for sale is hard to do. Both Buyers and Sellers are faced with many challenges and have different time schedules. When there are families or pets, it becomes more challenging. Buyers are up against the clock, road construction and traffic. The Sellers are inconvenienced in many different ways. Purging, donating to charity, getting rid of what you don't need, putting as much stuff into a POD is worth it. The goal for every Seller is to get a SOLD sign as quickly as possible.

© Written by Patricia Feager, 9/26/2016