Buyers of single family homes or condominiums have a lot to choose from these days in a market flush with properties. Anything buyers perceive as a negative can become a reason to pass on your offering. If you're going to list your house or condo, be aware that one or more of the following can cause a potential sale to quickly die before it has a chance.
#1 Pricing your home higher than the average of similar sold properties in the area is an invitation for your house to languish on the market for months to come. Decide if you can afford that. Add up your current mortgage payment, heat, electric, water, sewer, garbage pick-up, taxes, insurance and ongoing maintenance costs against the list price you've set and how long it may take to get it. At the very least, try your wishful price for no more than a couple of weeks. If no one shows interest, make a significant reduction in price that's more in line with, or even less than, other neighborhood sales.
#2 Too many restrictions on the days and times you will allow showings can make it too difficult for busy buyers to arrange a time around your convoluted schedule. They'll go where it's easy to get an appointment.
#3 Dirty, smelly homes can turn people off in a heart beat. Put effort into preparing your house or condo for showing. Many buyers today are looking for the listing that's considered move-in ready. It's got to be clean, with no strong odors. Roofs should not have leaks, windows and screens should function properly. Appliances should all be in working order, including the heat and air conditioning units.
#4 Refusal to use a lock-box can significantly limit the numbers of visits. Buyers and their agents want to maximize the time they have to look and it's much easier to get access to homes with a lock-box arrangement. Don't be afraid that a lock-box situation will result in missing or damaged items. A buyer's real estate agent is the only one who can access the lock-box (besides the owner) and they will take great pains to ensure your home and possessions are safe during a showing.
#5 Insisting on hanging out at your house or condo, following the buyers from room to room while it's being shown, makes buyers uneasy. They'll spend less time inside and quickly move on to the next one. Sometimes sellers feel they must be present to answer any questions a prospective buyer may have. If a buyer is not accompanied by a real estate agent you will, of course, not want to leave your home while they look around. However, if an agent is also present there is no reason to stick around and it can even be detrimental to the sale. Give buyers plenty of time to look around, feel comfortable, and begin to visualize themselves living in the home. If they have any further questions, their agent can contact you later.
#6 Specifying rooms or areas of the house or condo that are locked, or off limits during a showing, can raise a red flag that something serious is wrong. If you have valuables in the room you're locking, store or remove them to another location. A barking dog behind a closed door is also scary to buyers.
#7 Being slow to respond to time limits set forth in a purchase offer can cause frustration and sets a bad tone for the rest of the process. A buyer may have a couple of good properties in mind so it's wise to make your decision within the designated time. Once all parties have signed off, the offer becomes a legal contract. A seller should also make every effort to respond in a timely fashion to any further questions a buyer may have. If one seller responds more quickly than another, it can be the difference of which listing the buyer makes an offer on.
#8 Being unwilling or unreasonable in negotiations can be an immediate deal breaker. Give consideration to buyer requests and then counter-offer, if possible, so that both parties can be satisfied. Be sure to make it clear in the marketing of your house if there are any items that are not part of the sale. That might be the washer or dryer, the chandelier over the dining table, the kids play swings, the ornate mirror hanging in the entry hall, the wine rack on the wall in the kitchen, the shelving in the den. Just be advised that the more items eliminated from the sale, the less a buyer may be interested.
#9 Requesting an unusually long time to close the deal and move out can be a problem for a buyer needing to find a place to live within a limited period of time. Consider ways that you could accommodate the needs of a buyer to close quickly, before you put your house or condo on the market. Typical closings come approximately 30 days after a contract is agreed upon. However, in the case where there is a cash deal the buyer may want to move in sooner than that. If you can't be flexible, the buyer will be forced to look elsewhere.
#10 Hiding or withholding important facts about the house or condo, i.e. attempting to paint over the signs of a recent roof leak, putting a rug over a severely damaged wood floor, unresolved survey disputes, covering up evidence of live termite damage, liens against the property, etc. can result in charges of fraud and initiate litigation. Be up front about any significant problems and work to get them resolved. If it's an issue of needed repairs or replacement, negotiation between willing parties can often produce a workable solution.
Copyright (C) 2008 by Susan Bicksler, all rights reserved.
When selling your house the kitchen is often a massive point of sale and is often a deal breaker. The design layout, worktops and cupboard fascias are all vital ingredients in giving your kitchen the right look and making it enticing to prospective buyers. It is worth updating a kitchen before sale as it will add a great deal of value to your house, you do not however have to spend a fortune at the kitchen suppliers; there are ways to make the process affordable.
The main way to make an update more affordable is to replace minor elements such as worktops and cabinet doors as these are relatively inexpensive and can completely change the look of your kitchen. It is through clever design features that a contemporary feel can be created and your kitchen will look as if it has just been photographed in a design magazine.
A great way to renovate your cabinets and worktops if they are solid wood is to change the stain. It may sound a complicated and laborious task but is the most cost effective way to change the look and feel of your kitchen. All it takes is to sand back the original stain on all worktops and cabinets then apply a different stain of your choice. For a contemporary feel the stain does not even have to be coloured, a natural stain can be a sublime design feature, allowing the wood to shine.
When looking at handles for the cabinets be sure to experiment. There are so many different styles on the market the choices are seemingly endless. Choosing a style that fits into the kitchen and matches the other decor like the worktops and counters is essential to creating a homogeneous look in your kitchen.
For the splash back areas behind the worktops there is a more affordable option than retiling the entire wall. A board of wood is a suitable alternative; using a high quality waterproof paint that allows for scrubbing and heavy duty wear is an ideal solution. If you want to create a Tuscan feel to your kitchen it is even possible to place terracotta stone pavement slabs that will create a beautiful design feature. The use of a matching mortar will also add to the effect.
If terracotta backsplash plates sound too expensive the use of vinyl flooring squares can create the same look at a fraction of the price. With the large variety of vinyl flooring patterns present in today's market the choices are limitless and allow you to create a truly distinctive look. They really do make a cheap alternative to your backsplash areas behind the worktops and are also easy to wipe clean.
If wanting to make over your cabinets painting the borders in a contrasting colour creates an interesting design element. Painting cabinet doors can even be taken further by allowing children to paint flower and garden pictures on paper and mounting these pictures within the framed doors. Another inexpensive way to rejuvenate your doors is to add squares of woven grass for a rustic style. Cork boards can also be used on cabinet doors as a utilitarian solution, hey presto; an effective notice board for all your family's messages.
Replacing the worktops in your kitchen may seem an expensive option but is still relatively cheap when compared to replacing the entire kitchen. The market today has many options, whether these are granite and stone worktops for a temporary feel or wooden worktops that transform any kitchen to a country cottage cooking space. Worktops can completely update a kitchen and let you create any style you wish.
Renovating your kitchen does not have to be an expensive process. Before you consider an entirely new kitchen, look at the options that will be better for your wallet, and will help the sale of your house substantially.
Both Susan Bicksler & Thomas Pretty are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Susan Bicksler has sinced written about articles on various topics from Real Estate, The Internet and Personal Desktop. As a professional real estate sales associate, property investor, and past condominium association president, Susan Bicksler gained experience and insight into the world of sellers and buyers. For tips and the inside scoop visit. Susan Bicksler's top article generates over 1900 views. to your Favourites.
Thomas Pretty has sinced written about articles on various topics from Formula One, Debts Loans and Interior Design. Home and Decor expert Thomas Pretty looks into the use of and cabinets in kitchen rejuvenation to assist in house sales. To find out more please v. Thomas Pretty's top article generates over 1500000 views. to your Favourites.