Realtor Confessions 🏠 What Buyers REALLY Think of Your House | MELANIE ❤️ TAMPA BAY

During my real estate career I've shown thousands of houses, and there's one thing that's true for almost all buyers: they make observations on your home as soon as they walk in and some of them are not so nice. I wanted to share what I've observed - buyers need to connect with your home in a personal way in order to want to purchase it. They use all five of their senses and will often verbalize what they're thinking.

Here are some of the most common (brutally honest) observations that I hear.

SMELLS

Whether it's food, cigarettes, or even overly aggressive air fresheners - nothing turns off a buyer faster than a smell that they don't like. Don't try and mask or cover up unpleasant odors - you need to get to the source and fix it. You may need to replace carpet, paint walls, clean out air ducts, or remove furniture - especially pieces that pets love to sit on. Don't cook any foods with pungent odors. It's very important that your house doesn't have any lingering smells - they negatively personalize a house very quickly.

PERSONAL PHOTOS

I actually like when homes have a few pictures, despite what every real estate article and video recommends. Personally, I've never seen a buyer get turned off by a few lovely family photos. What you want to avoid are casual snapshots. You don't want buyers taking away too much of their time checking out your 2002 Spring Break photo collage. And lets talk about wedding photos - take down almost all of them. They could dredge up negative emotions for newly divorced buyers.

NICKNAMES

Your house will definitely get a nickname - every buyer does it. They come in, look at your house, remember one or two things about it and then give each house a nickname. Just the other day, I had a buyer refer to the "zebra house" because it had a cool picture of that animal above the couch. You want buyers to have a positive or neutral nickname, and not a strange personal item like tequila. I have found that buyers are much more likely to purchase homes with a positive nickname.

DIRT, DUST, HAIR

It's really hard to keep a house clean with a family and pets living in it, but it's so important for the home to exude cleanliness. No dirty baseboards, dog hair on the floor, mold in the shower, or a dusty air filter. Buyers notice all of these things right away and it's a huge turn off. Do a deep cleaning before you list your home, and then spend the money to have someone come weekly for upkeep while you are showing it.

IS THIS HOUSE WORTH THE PRICE?

Almost immediately, a buyer will make an assessment of what they think your house is worth - much of this is based on how much work they think it needs. Buyers tend to overestimate how much it will cost to make cosmetic changes. While it's impossible to appeal to everyone's taste, some easy changes you can make that will make a big impact are interior and exterior painting in modern colors that works with the house, removing wallpaper, updating light and plumbing fixtures, and replacing worn carpet. Follow your Realtor's advice and take care of those inexpensive cosmetic fixes.

5 Home Selling 🏡 Pitfalls You Need to Avoid
   • 5 Home Selling 🏡 Pitfalls You Need to Avoi...  

SUBSCRIBE to this channel if you want to learn about real estate, home ownership, or living in the Tampa Bay area: https://goo.gl/XStcGM

FOLLOW MELANIE! 📱
http://melanielovestampabay.com
INSTAGRAM:
  / melanielovestampabay  
FACEBOOK:
  / melanielovestampabay  
TWITTER:
  / melanietampabay  
SMITH & ASSOCIATES:
https://melanieatkinson.smithandassoc...

🎧 LISTEN ON THE GO WITH MELANIE'S PODCAST 🎤
https://anchor.fm/melanielovestampabay
ITUNES: https://goo.gl/TGQrW7
SPOTIFY: https://goo.gl/y6T1i4
GOOGLE PODCASTS: https://goo.gl/C7BcAx

Melanie is a Tampa Bay area Realtor with Smith & Associates. She loves Tampa Bay area area, houses, and helping clients buy and sell real estate.

Email: [email protected]
Call/text me if you are looking to buy / sell a home in the Tampa Bay area! 813.368.6084

DISCLAIMER: All content provided on melanielovestampabay.com and the Melanie Loves Tampa Bay YouTube channel/social media platforms is for informational/entertainment purposes only. The owner of Melanie Loves Tampa Bay makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. Information provided is subject to change, please consult Melanie directly or another licensed real estate agent to receive the best expertise for your specific situation.
The owner of Melanie Loves Tampa Bay will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.