What would make you buy this house

[Sugar Jones]

When we were looking at houses - colour was NOT a big deal for me. I would be repainting anyway so I tried to envsion rooms in the colours that I would choose. However the thought of stripping wallpaper made me cringe. So I would get rid of the wallpaper if at all possible!

DECLUTTER - It's hard to really see the size of a room if it's full of stuff.
CLEAN - clean the carpets, floors, drapery etc... make sure there is no animal smell.
Yard - lawn cut, gardens weeded etc...

 

[Hutchy]

Without question get rid of any clutter. When we were house hunting we went into one and it was A MESS!!!! There was so much crap on all the counters I felt like I couldn't breath! When we went into the master bed/bath it was so cluttered they had clothes hanging over the closet door and the tub had so many bottles of shower gel/shampoo/ect that the room looked terrible. We didn't care for the layout of the house but with all that STUFF everywhere it was hard to even begin imagining our own stuff there.

When we sold our last house we rented a storage unit and anything "extra" was moved over there to clear out rooms and make the house look and feel bigger. If you are planning to downsize now would be a good time to get rid of all extra furniture!

Good luck!

 

[RIDisneyFan]

DH and I have been going to a lot of open houses. The things are look for are:
Neutral colors - I don't want to have to paint right away.
Clean - don't want to do a lot of cleaning either; moving is enough work!
No clutter - helps to see how much space there actually is.
Lots of counter space - I want plenty of room for preparing meals/baking.

I look at the kitchen and bath most closely. The other rooms are easier to change if I want to, but kitchen and bath remodels are usually very pricey. And I agree with previous posters, I really don't like wallpaper.

 

[Luvchefmic]

OP do you get HGTV you know the station with all those homebuyer shows? Could get a lot of tips there too. They mention things that I would have never thought of and it really helped when we were looking for a house as buyers. Best of Luck to you

 

[MouseLover]

especially of the kitchen.
The kitchen is the most important to me. I want to see kitchen pics. I would like the newer appl/granite countertops, but I do not have to have them. I DO have to have ample cabinet storage and countertop space. If there are no kitchen pictures, I will not bother looking at the house.

Declutter -- This is a must. As other said, get rid of extra furniture, toys, and clear dressers, bathroom & kitchen countertops. And organize the closets so buyers can see how much space is actually in there.

The landscaped yard would be a plus for me.

I 2nd offering a carpet allowance if you can not afford to change that now.

I would take down the wallpaper & paint a neutral color in the bathrooms.

I expect to see family photos when I look at a house that is not empty. I would clear out most of them though to declutter.


Keep the house in ready-to-show condition. The last house I sold we showed on Christmas Eve about 5pm. Literally, our realtor called & said a couple is sitting in front of your house and would like to look at it now. Realtor was only 5 minutes away & came & went ahead and showed it. It was clean, decorated nicely for Christmas (but not overdone) & a fire going in FP.

 

[ajh88]

I haven't read through all the replies, but something you might do (if you have cable and a DVR) is record some of the House Hunters episodes on HGTV, and maybe even Designed to Sell (and other shows of that ilk). I love watching them and just seeing what buyers think about different homes. I also like "My First Sale" - where people are selling their homes for the first time.

You could DVR a few so you can fast forward through the stuff that doesn't matter. My best advice is probably just common sense - accentuate the postive and eliminate the negative!

 

[java]

I would like the gardens for sure. Wallpaper- ugh. I say get rid of that. It's a pain to remove and while it may be the most beautiful wallpaper in the world- it won't be the buyers favorite.

You say newer kitchen- What kind of countertops are they? You said not granite. Are they laminate? That would turn me off. And honestly upgraded countertops isn't nearly as expensive as people think. That might be a good one to bite the bullet on.

Good luck and honestly CLEAN is the big seller. We bought our first home- an older one, just because it was so clean. I figured if they kept it so clean they must have taken good care of the upkeep in general.

 

[kelleyrn2000]

I agree....get rid of the wallpaper. Anyone who has ever had to take down wallpaper, will cringe at the thought when they see it.

The landscaping is definitely a plus...it costs alot to landscape a home, and this is a selling point...they won't have to pay to landscape, just maintain.

Neutral colors, as little furniture in the room as possible.

And, as someone who had a nightmare selling experience, get a good agent. Use word of mouth to find a good one, or sell it yourself. Our last house we ended up with a crappy realtor, who lied, was always out of town, and rarely returned our phone calls. When we finally got an offer, she could not be reached and actually ended up being fired. She didn't even have our house listed on the MLS that we had agreed upon. Within two weeks of having our house for sale by a different agent/company, we had sold our house for our asking price. The old agent had it for 8 months!! This was our first selling experience and we were very naive!

 

[LisaInNc]

I would spend a lot of time on curb appeal. Make someone that drives by want to see the inside. Remember first impressions so make the outside look spectacular.

I would totally declutter. Even paint the walls a neutral color. In this housing market you might have to spend money to make money. A good realtor should be able to advise you where to put money. Sometimes cheap fixes can make a big difference.

Good luck!

Lisa

 

[dreamin_disney]

what would keep me from buying your house is if theres was a lot of outdated stuff I'd have to fix. I dont want to spend more money to fix it up.
Wall paper is a big turn off. Rose color old carpet wouldnt work for me so I would have to pay to have that changed out.

We bought an old house but luckily the previous owners did a lot of upgrades so all we had to do was move in. The only thing i didnt like was the front of the house look some parts are painted wood and parts stucco. Wish it was all stucco. The windows are outdated i think the orignal from the 70"s someday i hope to change those out and redo the front.

What sold us was the inside tile through the halls and kitchen, updated oak cabinets(looked so pretty), mauve large counter (we bought our home 11 1/2 years ago), updated fireplace with tile and a wood mantel. The house didnt need anything but a new garage door because the old one was wood.

The house was very very very clean and it looked like a catelog neat and organized. The dinner table was set with napkins and dinner plates picture perfect.

wait its been so long-lol! the bathroom eventually had to be redone cheap cabinets and flooring but was ok for a 1st time buyer.

 

[Good Ol Gal]

we decluttered our house like crazy (shoved it all in the garage, but hey the house was open )

We were selling over the summer so I cranked the AC down super low... it was sooo cool in the house after coming in from the extreme heat in CA.

Then I made sure I baked some chocolate chip cookies right before leaving.

Not sure how much that all played into selling the house, but we got on offer from the FIRST people who came and saw it!!

It was higher than we even asked, so we took it!

FYI: this was almost 16 years ago

 

[Duckiedee]

Even if you can't afford to do a lot of remodeling - I think it is important to make sure it looks like you have kept up 'regular maintence' and have shown pride in keeping things somewhat current.

Unless it is a brand new build - I think faucets should be updated, light fixtures and drapery - which can be negotiated into the house price.

Any small areas of older tile or carpet should be dealt with. Hotwater heater etc. should not be on the last legs. Decks sound. Change anything really dated for paint or wall coverings. Fresh paint on interior doors and clean walls instead of marks and fingerprints everywhere.

You can usually put down some laminate flooring yourself and inexpensively, even if the buyer doesn't love everything you do - the fact that you've 'kept it up' shows me that you cared enough to take care of the house and took pride in ownership - I don't want someone's yucky castoffs.

To me if there is good quality, ten-year-old carpet in a guest room or good condition, but out-dated tile or older cabinets - is not a breaking point for me... IF I want to change it - that's my perogative and I will put in an offer accordingly. For me it's all the little smaller things added up that has not been bothered to be improved that isn't too expensive that turns me off. It makes me think "What ELSE" haven't they taken care of?

Same for the yard and entry... a few cheerful plants/flowers, trimmed bushes, fresh paint on the doors and window trim.

And yep - decluttered.

Also I find people are drawn to some type of closet system... even the simple laminate or wire ones.

Good luck!!

 

[mom2val]

1. Clean Clean Clean! White glove it - noone wants anyone elses dirt
2. major declutter - get rid of all the clutter- you want to move so just pack it up. The goal is to make your house look like you have storage space galore!
3. No Wallpaper - rip it down and paint nuetral color
4. Make sure it smells clean and fresh
5. curb appeal - clean up the flowers beds and sweep the porch- paint the front door if it needs it

You asked about trends... we just built a new house last year.
Hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, granite, spa tub, nuetral colors, open concept floor plan, no popcorn ceiling.... these were all big selling points when we picked our home.

Most important though is a fair market value listing price! Good Luck

 

[tommya60]

Clean, clean, clean. No animal smells, and no animals around.
The landscaping sounds great.
Declutter, including closets, kitchen cabinets.

When we were house hunting I really disliked going into dark houses. Open the drapes and clean the windows. Let in the light.

If you are in a great school district make sure that's highlighted. People often think they know the school bounderies, if you don't have kids in school make sure the school information is accurate. Check the realtors online listing for ugly pictures, all outside pictures, weird descriptions.

Set a reasonable price, and choose the local real estate agency that knows your area. This saved us a lot of hassle. We skipped the franchises and went with the agency and agent that was best known in our area. He knew what we wanted and didn't waste our time. Make sure the house is ready for the broker's open house.

 

[bellarella]

I've been both a buyer and seller in both the hot market and the terrible market -- here are some tips:

Many buyers have no imagination. They have a hard time seeing past cosmetic issues. Additionally, very often buyers become emotional -- getting them hooked into seeing themselves living in your home is key. Based on that:

1. Get rid of wallpaper. It won't be a selling point to anyone, and may send some people headed for the hills.

2. Look at the finishes in your home. It is amazing how much lighting, door knobs and bathroom/kitchen fixtures can date a home. These items are not that expensive to replace.

3. Depending on the condition of your cabinets, consider putting in granite countertops if comps in your area have them, especially if you are at a price break. People often overestimate how much putting in granite costs. If it's on their must do list, they will deduct more than it would cost you to do it from their offer.

4. Consider changing the rose carpet -- or advertise an $XXX allowance for carpet change. That will help control terms of the negotiations.

5. Make sure everything is de-cluttered for every showing. Also, turn on at least one light per room and make sure all window coverings are open.

6. Fresh flowers sparingly, but strategically placed can be helpful, as can green plants (real or fake, but make sure they are dust free).

7. The smell of baking bread or cookies can be helpful. Try to avoid other cooking smells, though, if you can. If I had a last minute showing, I would pour a little vanilla on some tinfoil and warm in in the toaster oven while I was straightening up. House smelled like fresh baked cookies.

8. I would also turn classical music on very softly -- nothing that should be immediately noticeable, but would "warm" the space.

Good luck!

 

[Gigi22]

I wasn't going to reply until I noticed you have rose carpet. My sister had rose carpet wall-to-wall throughout the top two stories of her house. I doubt that it was solely due to the carpet, but she and her DH had to carry that house for 6-8 mo. after moving about two hours out of town. They finally had to replace the flooring in their kitchen with tile. They never replaced the carpets, which were pricey.

 

[CowboyCO]

Flowers. Lot of flowers. Put pots of flowers outside the entry, hanging baskets everywhere you can and have fresh flowers on the kitchen table. Put out pots every 5-10 leading from the driveway to porch.

Clean up the landscaping. Keeping things trimmed up and neat adds to the perceived value of the house. Remove anything and everything from storage areas, expecially in the garage. Rent a storage unit, take stuff to Goodwill.

Take at least 1/2 your clothes out of the closets. If they are not full, they will appear larger.

 

[aprilgail2]

Haven't read other responses.....

1. Landscaping
2. Neutral paint throughout house
3. Hardwood floors
4. No wallpaper

I agree with all of these- I have no desire to buy a house with someone elses dirty old carpeting in it.
Also I would like a very low maintenance landscaping with not to many flowers.
NO cat/dog smells or litter box stink or animal hair anyplace

 

[S. C.]

I cringe when I see wall paper! I had too many bad experiences with taking down wallpaper. It shouldn't be costly for you to take it down, just time consuming.

OFF TOPIC: If you ever need to remove wallpaper. White vinegar and water 50/50 mixture in a spray bottle does the trick.

OK, carry on.

 

[2manypets]

I'm looking at houses now. I won't even go into a house that still has wood paneling or 1970's decor. And NO wallpaper. I'm also looking at how clean the occupants are. My theory is if they are clean, then there's less of a chance of having a bug problem. I don't mind an odd paint color on the walls because paint is cheap to buy and it's personal. We'll be repainting anyways.

So the top three is:
No wallpaper
Cleanliness
Update a little. It doesn't have to be granite counter tops, but if it's still formica...please.