When it comes to buying or selling your home the parties involved, buyer and seller, are going to have two totally different perspectives. If you talked to the buyer and seller individually you would think they were discussing a different home.
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You, the seller have lived in your home for many years, arguably very happily. One would presume that anything you didn’t like or that bothered you would have been dealt with over the years. And of course any upgrades that were made were made to your taste. The house reflects you the seller.
Along comes the buyer with a fresh pair of eyes, and they may be bothered by things that your is O.K. with or don’t think are a problem. For instance, these are some item of concern that buyers often bring up which have been totally acceptable to the current owners of the home:
Wood floors: The home may have dark wood floors and the buyer thinks it makes the home dark. They prefer light wood. Or the floors may show wear and tear. They will think about the cost of refinishing or removing it.
Wallpaper: Not too many buyers are going to love wallpaper, especially if it is heavily patterned or textured. Removing it can be a big job,
Kitchens and bathrooms: These are the rooms buyers most want to see upgraded. Original counter tops and cabinetry in the kitchen and original bathroom, comfortable as they may be for the seller, are often a sticking point for a buyer. They are going to wonder how much it is going to cost to upgrade, not to mention the time and hassle. Many buyers want a home that is move-in ready.
Closet space: The trend today is for walk-in closets which many older homes don’t have. Closet space is important to many buyers and though it may have been sufficient for the current owners it often is not for the prospective new ones.
Laundry: Where the laundry unit is located can also be a problem for a buyer. If it is a multi-story unit and the laundry is located in a place where you need to climb stairs, this may be a problem. Or it may be a combined unit in the kitchen which may not be ideal for the buyer.
Your home is your home and you have been very comfortable in it. No one expects you to totally remodel it and even if you wanted to you would have no idea what the next owner would like. I have seen homes that have been totally remodeled have a buyer move in only to totally gut it and start again. This is one of the reasons it isn’t a great idea to remodel before selling. You will not recoup all your money and run the risk of having a finished product that may not suit many prospective buyers.
It would also be very difficult to reconfigure a home, say to enlarge a bedroom or add closet space. The best that you can do is price your home according to the market. In a hot sellers’ market like today your home should sell quickly. If it doesn’t you should try and get feedback as to why it is not selling and then you may have to adjust your price.
Once you put your home on the market try and take the emotion out of the process and don’t take feedback personally, after all you may end up in the buyer’s position looking at someone else’s home with fresh eyes.
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