Looks Are Everything

Remember when you were a kid and your parents told you looks aren’t everything? I hate to break it to you, but it turns out they were wrong…at least in terms of real estate they were. The one thing you have to understand about buyers and renters is that they only see what is in front of them. They are terrible about seeing the hidden potential in a property – and even if they can they often will not want to put the effort into the property to bring that potential out. In the case of real estate appraisers, they might see the hidden potential, but they certainly will not value your property higher for what it could be given a little bit of work.

The simple reality is that buyers and renters that are seriously looking for a new home want to see a property that is move in ready. Sure there might be little changes here and there they can envision themselves making, but the more drastic the changes and the more work they feel they will have to do to get the house into “livable” condition greatly decreases the chance of them purchasing it. If they do want to purchase the property I can guarantee you that they will not be willing to pay a price for it that will make you happy.

What this means for the person trying to sell their home or attract a good renter is very simple: fix your house! Holes in the wall are unacceptable – and that doesn’t just mean the large ones. Screw or nail holes from wall hangings need to be patched. The walls need to be painted a neutral color; light earth tones are appealing to a broad range of buyers and renters. All burnt out light bulbs need to be replaced. Burned out light bulbs give the impression of a house that is in disrepair. Additionally dimly lit rooms look closed in and gloomy so maximize the amount of light coming into the house – especially rooms where people tend to gather like the living room and kitchen. Remember you want to make people want to live in this house, not feel like they are entering into a cave to hibernate. Another mistake people make constantly is they leave the house cluttered or disorganized. You might think that clutter gives the home a nice “lived in” look, but buyers think it just looks messy. They also think if you are not willing to clean up your house for something as serious as showing it to potential buyers or renters, there is a good chance there are things below the surface that could be wrong with the house. You need to understand that it is hard for buyers or renters to picture themselves living in a messy, cluttered house. They have a hard time envisioning what the room would look like if it was cleaned up. Since they cannot get a good vision of what the room could be, the likely hood of them wanting to move into that home is very slim. You want to make people excited about the prospect of living in your house. You want them to be able to dream about your property – not have nightmares about all the work they would have to put into the home to make it livable.

Also do not forget the curb appeal! First impressions are everything. If the outside of the home does not look nice, there is going to be a large percentage of potential buyers you will miss out on. They will drive by the home and keep on driving. It will not matter how much work you have put into the inside of the house. You need to make the outside draw people inside. It is a lot like writing a book and the outside of the house is the opening paragraph. If you don’t capture your audience’s attention in that first paragraph, the majority of people are going to put the book down and look for something else to read. For houses this means getting rid of all the weeds in the front yard, having a good paint job, a good roof, some flowers out front to bring in some color and a whole bevy of little fixes here and there that make the house look like a real home. Cut the grass, fix the cracks in the driveway – really make it look nice. This does not have to cost you a fortune, but the return on your investment you will get for building up your curb appeal can be in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Just remember, when it comes to houses looks are everything. So put in a little bit of elbow grease to bring out the unique charm of your property. Trust me, you will not regret it.