Sell This House

[Bruce Wrenn]

On the Dabl network is a show called "Sell This House." Hostess is former Ms Canada (eye candy). The houses they show are priced right, but generally cluttered, decorated wrong, or need some small renovations to make them attractive. They do hidden camera open house, recording buyers comments and showing them to owners. Roger, the staging director can make just a few changes, and the house sells. Most make overs are less than $2000 in materials. He makes a duck turn into a swan.

[Jim Matthews]

He makes a duck turn into a swan.

Outside of a Swan, the most comfortable bird is a Duck.

Inside of a Swan, it's too dark to see.

(With apologies to Groucho)

[Frederick Skelly]

Sounds like a good show, especially if you are preparing to sell.

[Jim Becker]

I'm not familiar with that show...or network...but the premise is sound. Sometimes, only a few minor adjustments will take a property from sitting on the market to multiple bids and a sale. It's always a good idea to get someone else's eyes on the situation, too..."we" can sometimes be our worst enemies because of the subjectivity involved with our own homes.

[Jim Koepke]

Never forget 'curb appeal' many potential buyers are swayed by the outward beauty or lack of it.

Though there are those buying to flip and they look for just the opposite of curb appeal.

jtk

[Bruce King]

When I was a home inspector there were some agents that wanted their sellers to get an inspection before listing. This is generally a good idea but finding an inspector to do it is harder because the seller does not want to pay much. The most frequent items that cause buyers to walk and out of budget for sellers are wet moldy crawlspaces, multiple failed seals in foggy windows, leaky tile showers ($5k+) and often houses have 20 plumbing issues, 10 electrical issues and HVAC units on their last leg. Buyers see some of this but once it’s on paper reality hits. I have seen agents outright lie about repair costs and sometimes just say the inspector is wrong. They get bottom feeder contractors that “fix“ these houses to downplay the serious foundation and drainage issues. Inspectors hate doing reinspections because only half the items are usually fixed and emotions are running high at this point. The buyer now has lots of money into the deal which is how it works, so they often cave in and buy it. I had a buyer on a two mil house that didn’t even read the report because they wrongfully assumed the agent would.

[Jim Becker]

Never forget 'curb appeal' many potential buyers are swayed by the outward beauty or lack of it.

Though there are those buying to flip and they look for just the opposite of curb appeal.

jtk

True on both accounts. One thing that is always listed as potential selling cost is updating landscaping, paint and (interior) staging. And as a potential buying within the next year, I'm actually wrestling with the the "buy nice at a higher price" or "buy to fix". Our criteria for each would likely be different for sure.


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Bruce, I bet you saw all kinds of "interesting" things in the inspection business, sometimes very scary things!

[Bill Dufour]

I am in the process of buying a newer home. One criteria is the fixes for the first 6 months, until the old house is cleaned up and sold, have to be cheap in materials but my time can be long. I will run cables, install extra outlets, maybe pex if needed etc. But the expense of concrete sidewalks or a new roof will have to wait until I have the cash from the previous house in hand. I can keep plenty busy for six-twelve months for $500-1,000 in materials.
Duct sealing in the attic will only cost $24 dollars for a tub of mastic but provide hours of pleasure crawling around in fiberglass. Lots of stuff up there like that before insulation blowing happens.
Bil lD

[Lee Schierer]

When we sold our first house the realtor advised us to repaint all the rooms so there were no marks on the wall and to use neutral colors. She also advised to have the carpets cleaned, the grass neatly cut and trimmed, etc.

If a room has tons of furniture, it appears to be much smaller than it really is. Many people can only see what tehy see and cannot imagine what the same space would look like with their furniture in it.

When we were shopping for our new home, one place we looked at had a finished basement "man cave" with some art work that was of questionable taste painted on the walls. That was a real negative, because it would have to be covered before we could move in if we purchased the home. Fortunately we found a much nicer home in a different area closer to where I was going to work that had many more positive things on our list.

[Mel Fulks]

I guess new paint is good. But if you listen to real estate people ,yeah, they always mention "neutral colors". What that
really means is "you are a peasant and I knew that the moment I met you. So I can't let you pick the color. " Neutral usually ends being beige,and only
black can make a house more drab. Here's a tip, tell that agent : "I think I might have to replace you with the guy whose
picture is often seen in the news paper standing in front of a wall full of "Top Salesman" awards. THAT will make stuff
happen !

[Jim Becker]

I think that's a bit strong, Mel. The recommendation for neutral colors is more pointed at homes that have bold colors on the walls in some rooms. What an individual might feel is "cozy" for their own tastes when they use deep or garish colors can often make a room feel much smaller or off-putting. The ideal is "lighter and airier". from a presentation perspective, so in addition the beige that you clearly love, it also means creamy colors, light greys, etc., with trim colors that don't have huge contrast. The most successful real estate agents don't make these recommendations to tear folks down...they make them to help sell a property faster and for more money.

I suspect when we prepare this home to sell within the next year, the master bedroom, which is very large but painted a deeper sage color, will have to be lightened up for staging. The rest of the house, fortunately, doesn't have a lot of bold color in it.

[Jim Koepke]

But if you listen to real estate people ,yeah, they always mention "neutral colors". What that
really means is "you are a peasant and I knew that the moment I met you. So I can't let you pick the color. "

Any light color easy to paint over with a single coat is what neutral color means to many people.

Hopefully real estate people know what sells. They get paid quick if a property sells quick.

Painting rooms bright red or deep purple might not be drab, but it will turn off a lot of buyers as they imagine how many coats of paint they will need to keep it from showing through.


When we sold our first house the realtor advised us to repaint all the rooms so there were no marks on the wall and to use neutral colors. She also advised to have the carpets cleaned, the grass neatly cut and trimmed, etc.

Sounds like good advice. Many buyers will want to repaint every room whether it needs it or not. Clean walls give a very different impression than walls with scuffs and other various marks. Some folks will be reluctant to buy if every room needs to be painted before they move in as opposed to being able to paint each room over time after they move in.

A yard that isn't 'neatly cut' can make potential buyers wonder what else the owner let go to pot.

jtk

[Doug Garson]

In addition to buyers thinking they will have to repaint, bold colours also distract them from the permanent features of the house. Rather than remember the great fireplace in the living room and huge island in the kitchen etc. they will walk away thinking about the purple walls in the master bedroom and lime green bathroom.

[Bill Bukovec]

Before we sold our house ( 5 years ago) my wife hired an interior decorator. Man, was that ever worth it!
The decorator made all the decisions on flooring, paint color, etc. An added bonus, she knew what subs to hire. ( For flooring).
She also "Staged" the house when it went on the market. The house looked great.
We had three offers after two days, all above asking price.
The designer and upgrades more than paid for themselves.

[Doug Dawson]

Sounds like good advice. Many buyers will want to repaint every room whether it needs it or not. Clean walls give a very different impression than walls with scuffs and other various marks. Some folks will be reluctant to buy if every room needs to be painted before they move in as opposed to being able to paint each room over time after they move in.


The purpose of an interior decorator is to advise on what color of wall best shows off the furniture. If they have any reason to live at all. :^)

Yes, a good quality coat of fresh paint is a major selling point. Details matter.

[Bruce King]

I’ve seen too many crappy paint jobs too. Drywall touch ups include much more than picture hanging nails and nail pops. A proper prep will take a few days of filling and sanding. Sounds like woodworking huh, it’s actually harder if done right. We had those paint runs that come out the edges of rollers on a 17ft ceiling. Had to hide them by mudding over. Bought a scaffold on wheels for 500 that was well worth it.

[Mel Fulks]

All interesting comments! But bright colors predominated for a long time. Electric lights made it possible to to use dark
colors on walls. A good yellow was particularly admired ,but expensive; now ,a lot of people make a big show of
putting on sun glasses when they enter a yellow room.

[Jim Koepke]

But bright colors predominated for a long time. Electric lights made it possible to to use dark
colors on walls.

Taste in what is predominate changes over time. Maybe some day people will be looking for bright or darker colors in a home.

A note on electric lights, once heard a real estate professional mention having all the lights turned on when showing a house and having the window shades open.

Of course, for every rule there is an exception. Maybe in some areas having bright paisley wallpaper would be a selling point.

jtk

[Lisa Starr]

I have to say, hire a great realtor! Prior to selling our home we interviewed 3 realtors that all had a really high sales volume. After interviewing, one realtor clearly stood out, because she was much better at giving a dollar value to items that made our property better or worse than the comps and square footage price. With her help, we arrived at an asking price with a minimum acceptable bid in our minds. We also had a schedule in place of when and how much we'd drop the asking price, based on feedback. We went on the market with potential buyers fighting over showings. Showings started on Friday and by Sunday night we had a contract with a price higher than what the other realtors were wanting to list for!

When it was time to sell DH's mom's home, we used the same realtor. It was a somewhat unique property, as it had a tiny in-law apartment, but had to be occupied by a relative. It could not be rented to just anyone. It was connected via an unheated breezeway. She indicated that if could "heat" the breezeway, it would make the home appraise about $10,000 higher. DH and I did the work ourselves for the cost of a bit of duct work. The home sold to a couple with a parent with serious medical conditions. It was exactly what they were looking for and they offered over asking price.

Finally, when our son was looking for a fixer-upper home to purchase, she again offered great advise. With her help we were able to purchase a foreclosure that left plenty of budget for the updating and repairs.

Take time to find a full-time realtor that is good at their job.

[Jim Becker]

All interesting comments! But bright colors predominated for a long time. Electric lights made it possible to to use dark
colors on walls. A good yellow was particularly admired ,but expensive; now ,a lot of people make a big show of
putting on sun glasses when they enter a yellow room.
Here's the thing....aside from brightening and enlarging things visually, neutral colors permit the prospective buyer to more easily envision the space as their own because there is less distraction. It's the same reason that staging takes things to minimal furnishings and other clutter. In the sales world, this is part of the concept of "transfer of ownership" where the sales professional creates a situation where the prospective buyer takes "in hand" the goods being sold and is made to feel like they own them already. For a pencil, that might mean actually holding it. For a home, it means standing there and feeling it as one's own home. You may not personally be feeling the love about this kind of thing, but it's real and it works.

[Brian Elfert]

I’ve seen too many crappy paint jobs too. Drywall touch ups include much more than picture hanging nails and nail pops. A proper prep will take a few days of filling and sanding. Sounds like woodworking huh, it’s actually harder if done right. We had those paint runs that come out the edges of rollers on a 17ft ceiling. Had to hide them by mudding over. Bought a scaffold on wheels for 500 that was well worth it.

I bought a foreclosure house that had been badly taken care of. There were small dents and dings everywhere. (It was not intentional from what I can tell.) There was a good week of time put into just filling and sanding the walls. Even with all the time put in I keep seeing spots that should have been filled and sanded.

The walls would look a little nicer if more filling/sanding was done and the walls were painted again. I hate painting around trim so much it probably won't be repainted until I sell, or I finally decide to hire a painter. The doors and all trim had been torn out for replacement when I painted the walls initially.

[Bruce King]

Shine an LED flashlight across the walls, it will scare the crap out of you but most of that is not noticeable unless the sun shines across it a certain time of day. Just fix the biggies. When looking at a new house or any house to buy turn off the ceiling lights and look with a good LED flashlight. The ceiling light blinds you. A common statement by home inspectors is “turn out that light so I can see!”