The State of Real Estate Professional Opinions by Don Carr, ABR, GRI, REALTOR

I've heard it a thousand times, at least. "We were going to re-carpet but now that we are ready to sell, it's good enough." Or fix the kitchen, or you name it.  I have always wondered why people intend to do something knowing it will increase the beauty, value or just enjoyment of their home think that once they are ready to sell it does not need to be done, and they should get the same price as houses that do not need the "fix."   Of course we all have to consider budgets when we do upgrades or repairs, and they may not bring us a full return on our money, but the ones that need to be done might at least keep us from selling lower.  Is it because we do not want to spend the money or go the trouble?  For me it is most likely both, I don't want to move all that furniture and all those books to replace flooring. But lets consider some things that might make us "good enough" and some  of them will cost us no money at all.

I am proud of my home and I think most of us are.  I live in a planned community and of the 399 houses in my neighborhood 22 are the same floor plan as mine.  One of those is exactly three doors down the street from my house.  I showed it to a prospective buyer a couple of weeks ago.  It  was priced just about where I would have priced mine if I were to sell it. When I walked in I saw that they had replaced the carpet not with more carpet but with beautiful stylish hardwoods.Then we saw the pool and backyard area and they looked just as good as my extensively landscaped backyard (or better). I immediately started comparing.  Although I had done  more upgrades than they, if this house was on the market for x number of days and it looks like this...what would I get for mine and how long would it have to sit on the market? Obviously it is time for some sprucing up of the back yard, and maybe I better do those floors. My good enough would not be good enough.

Have you seen those new metallic paints, the kind with the little shinny fibers in them?  I have always thought it important to refinish your front doors and shine up that hardware if it needs to be done. After all it is first thing anyone sees when they come in to look at your house. If you can not or will not polish up the hardware, here is an easy fix. Those paints look great and will make your hardware look new again in no time. The door may require more traditional approaches.

How about before you get to the front door. Landscaping is very important and you know there are two types of landscapers.  There are those folks who like every thing neat and clipped, often in squares and little round balls. Then there are those of us who  prefer the more natural looking English style garden.Whichever you are  you can not neglect your landscaping. Either lack of  water or incorrect pruning or no pruning at all can soon make your house look like the most unkept in the neighborhood.  If you do not know how to do this yourself, get a professional who does know how (not all people who have a truck and a sign are really landscapers).  The street appearance of your home can make or break you when it comes to selling.  Be sure it is just not "good enough."

Want to play a game.  Go to a brand new house and walk through.  See how everything looks new, shinny and crisp. It's new! It should.  Now the next time you go to a friend or neighbor's house, see if you see the same shinny look. Do not come to my house please and try this.  Not the same...look at the baseboards. Hardly anyone, it seems to me, looks at the baseboards when they are getting ready to sell. Even though we may not know why, when they are chipped or dirty or neglected,  you just do not get the same feel. It is like wearing a couture dress or expensive suit and unpolished shoes. It does not take long to wash or paint baseboards but can make all the difference. Might check for chipped or dirty facings and doors while you are at it.

Several years ago I was talking with a lighting sales person from a major lighting firm.  I was picking out the lights for my new house and thought perhaps I was getting a little carried away. Wisely looking over her rhinestone glasses and shaking her black bobbed hair, she said: "Light fixtures are the jewelery of your home." How right that is. Nothing can look tackier or more out of date than old lighting fixtures.  Again I have seen the problem corrected with a quick coat of paint or a good scrubbing, but if they are really dated and boring anyway, it is easy to find fixtures of good design at reasonable prices. 

Clean up! Especially windows. How hard do you think it is to sell a dirty house?  If you are house shopping and you see a dirty house you are likely to think that beauty may be skin deep, but "dirt" goes to the bone. Most buyers will think if your house is not clean it has been neglected as well. When it comes to selling houses, we must all be Dutch in our cleanliness.

Not everyone is pretty. It's a fact. Not everyone likes children.  Not everyone wants to know about your five degrees, or here in Austin the number of patens you have.  Not everyone wants to see your wedding pictures or even a scattering of photos of your family, friends or pets. The hardest concept for a seller to grasp is that the minute their house goes on the market it is no longer a home. It is a product and you are competing with he very best in your community. You are competing with the worst too, but who cares about that kind of competition. You want to get the most money for your house and the best way to do that is to make it look as impersonal and uncluttered with someone else's family (yours) for the buyer as possilbe. To me a house  sells best one of two ways, empty or looking like a model. 

The man does go on about good enough!  The real truth is that in less than a run away market selling you home is like going to a dance. Remember Junior High. The girls (and guys) standing around the walls were the ones who looked just good enough.  I could not do much about that then, I have to admit, but when it comes to selling a house....

 Thanks , Don