I showed homes to two separate buyers yesterday and after going through a number of homes, I was reminded of the things that make buyers just runaway from the potential home.  Now the home may be perfectly suited to the buyer but if they cannot see beyond this “thing”, the home seller does not have a chance. 

As a seller you get one opportunity to impress a buyer.  There are pitfalls you can head off before the perspective buyer gets to your home to give you the best chance of getting an offer on your home:

Here are just 3 big-time homebuyer turn-offs that make buyers cringe at the thought of your home, and action steps you can take to prevent your home from being an offender:

1.  Sellers that feel like stalkers!  You think you’re being helpful, walking the buyer through your home and pointing out the little touches that are important to you and standout in your life.  You know what I’m talking about: details of grandma’s antique light fixture and how your brother almost got it, the petroglyphs that your children drew on the hallway walls, how you are going to miss the neighbor borrowing sugar every Tuesday.  Unfortunately, the buyers may not treasure those same things that make you smile and may actually be trying out how they would change it!  Also, buyers want to have the ability to digest what they are seeing without someone that they don’t know looking over their shoulder and listening to every comment they make. 

SO…leave the house when people come to see it.  If you need to be there, at least take a walk outside.   The real estate agent is a professional, rely on their good judgment.  If the buyers have questions they can be answered through the proper channels – your agents.

2. Dirty, messy and/or smelly houses.  Sometimes I walk into a home and it prompts an immediate gag reflex – ick!  It doesn’t even have to be that bad to turnoff a buyer.  The buyers who come to see your home are making the decision whether to choose your home for the biggest purchase they’ve ever made during some of the worst economic conditions of modern times.  Your job is to get your home noticed – favorably – above all the other homes on the market, which are many and many are priced very, very low.

SO…Other than listing your home at a competitive price, the only other tool within your control for differentiating your home from all the vacant/distressed foreclosures and short sales is to show it in the best possible shape.  You need to pack anyway, so get a storage unit and get rid of as many of your personal effects as possible.  Do not show it without it being completely cleaned up: no laundry or dishes piled up, countertops freshly washed, smelly dogs (I have a little buddy, Panda – it is inevitable that they smell - as owners we don’t notice it, don’t show your house with pet odors) or litter boxes cleaned or optimally out of the house.

3.  Irrational seller pricing.  Buyers are working hard during the process of shopping for a home; they are much more educated than ever.  Besides the typical research about the market and working to get a suitable loan, buyers now have to get educated about short sales and foreclosures and often put in a number of offers before they even get one accepted.  Unreasonable expectations and pricing just adds to the stress.  There are so many other homes on the market, when buyers see a home whose seller is clearly clueless about their home’s value and has priced it too high, most often they won’t bother even looking at it.  Instead, they’ll wait for it to sit on the market for awhile, hoping the market will “educate you” into being more reasonable.

SO…Be realistic.  Get out there and look at the other properties that are for sale in your area and price range. Get an agent’s analysis on what your home should be listed at, and don’t take it personally if their recommendation is low. If your home has much less curb appeal or space or is much less upgraded than the house across the way, don’t list it at the same price and expect it to sell. If you owe more than your home is realistically worth, you may need to reexamine whether you really want or need to sell, or consider a short sale, if you simply have to sell.  Don’t be tempted into testing your market with an obviously too-high price, unless you’re prepared to have your home lag on the market and get lowball offers.

There is a lot of free information available about buying, selling or investing in Holladay and Salt Lake City, Utah real estate.  For complete information about the Salt Lake City real estate market including foreclosures, short sales and more, visit the website dedicated to everything Salt Lake City Utah real estate.

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If you or someone you know are in need of a competent and caring real estate professional in or near Salt Lake City, Utah, I will be happy to help, just call me at 801-518-4599.