Barb Szabo's Blog

It takes Less Than Five Minutes for a Buyer to Leave Your "Not Ready For Market Home"!

It takes Less Than Five Minutes for a Buyer to Leave Your "Not Ready For Market Home".

I am having quite a busy January considering I live in Cleveland Ohio. I have been out with several buyers this week and I noticed the same common theme that I have been noticing for quite a while.

walking awayA (non investor) buyer will leave a home in 5 minutes or less if it feels, smells, or looks not ready for the market. You have heard me say before that a seller has one chance to impress the buyer or that buyer will move on. Your home then becomes just a distant memory.

The first impression a buyer gets when they walk up to the front door usually sets the tone for the showing.

It is difficult for most buyers to focus on the good stuff if:

It smells bad....musty, moldy cigarette smoke, overpowering air fresheners, pet odors

It feels uncared for....when a buyer notices enough little things that it makes him wonder what else might be wrong with the house

It does not appear ready for showings...laundry on the floor, dishes in the sink, cobwebs on the ceiling, dirty appliances

I will be the first to acknowledge that some sellers simply do not have the finances to make any improvements, but some of the above items do not cost any money.

rubber glovesDishes and laundry can be put away, appliances can be cleaned and so can the cobwebs. I remember a home I sold once that had a purple commode, sink,and bathtub with green shag carpeting as an accent color but you could eat off the floors as it was that clean.

So if you can't make major or even minor repairs, strive for spotlessly clean!

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If you would like to buy or sell a home in the southern communities of Cleveland Ohio, please call me at 440-263-7496, or you may want to visit my website for more specific information on the communities I service: Brecksville Ohio Real Estate, Broadview Heights Ohio Real Estate, North Royalton Ohio Real Estate Independence Ohio Real Estate, Seven Hills Ohio Real Estate, Parma Ohio Real Estate, Parma Heights Ohio Real Estate and Middleburg Heights Ohio Real Estate.  Information is obtained from Neohrex (Northeast Ohio Real Estate Exchange) and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Properties subject to prior sale, rental, or other status changes. All properties that are advertised as being listed or sold by Barb Szabo are in conjuntion with ReMax Trinity.

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7 comments • Barb Szabo E-pro Realtor Cleveland Ohio Homes • January 21 2012 09:50AM

Location, Location, Location...Not So Much Anymore....Price, Price, Price!

Location, Location, Location...Not So Much Anymore....Price, Price, Price!


For those of us who have been in the business for a while, we remember the phrase location, location, location, which of course implied that nothing was more important than location when it came to purchasing a home.  In reality, when I priced a home it was really location, condition, and price that I considered. But if there was some less than attractive wallpaper, I didn't consider it that much of a problem. The same was true if the carpets were a little worn, or the deck needed staining, or maybe the landscaping was not quite right. The second home my husband and I bought in 1990 had an original furnace and A/C, an old hot water tank, a roof we found out after inspections was leaking, wallpaper I did not like and a dated kitchen and dated bathrooms. BUT, we loved the yard, the huge family room addition with a fireplace, the finished basement (with red and black shag carpeting) and the neighborhood.

But now that the tables have turned, and supply is greater than demand, the truth is much closer to price, price, price or at best, somewhere in between.

I can't stress how important the right price is in today's market....that, and patience. It is not unusual to see market times of 6 months to one year in the Cleveland market, and even longer for condos. Buyers are not settling for outdated decor and old mechanicals, UNLESS the price is right..

Does that mean that as a seller you should not prepare your home for the market? Not at all. In fact, it's more important than ever to present your home in the best light possible. Buyers are closely scrutinizing the homes they are considering, with more stars given to those homes with improvements. I realize that many sellers do not have the financial means to make major improvements to their home. But even a home that is dated can be made neat and clean.

For those sellers who do have the means to make some improvements, start with the defects! So often I see a home with a remodeled kitchen or bath but the basement leaks, or the basement is finished but the roof leaks. Take care of defects first.

After the defects are corrected, other improvements to consider are:

stripping wallpaper and if there is no paper, perhaps a fresh coat of paint
carpets cleaned or replaced
spruce up the landscaping/deck
update the light fixtures
if your home is vacant, consider hiring a home stager

And don't forget a good dose of patience....you're gonna need it.

facebookfacebookgooglemeTwitterYelpLinkedInyahoo meoutside blog 

 

If you would like to buy or sell a home in the southern communities of Cleveland Ohio, please call me at 440-263-7496, or you may want to visit my website for more specific information on the communities I service: Brecksville Ohio Real Estate, Broadview Heights Ohio Real Estate, North Royalton Ohio Real Estate Independence Ohio Real Estate, Seven Hills Ohio Real Estate, Parma Ohio Real Estate, Parma Heights Ohio Real Estate and Middleburg Heights Ohio Real Estate.  Information is obtained from Neohrex (Northeast Ohio Real Estate Exchange) and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Properties subject to prior sale, rental, or other status changes. All properties that are advertised as being listed or sold by Barb Szabo are in conjuntion with ReMax Trinity.

Search MLS Listings My Search Portal - Save Searches - New Properties via Email and More! Home Market Values Online
16 comments • Barb Szabo E-pro Realtor Cleveland Ohio Homes • July 25 2011 07:48AM