[lulu]

I knew somebody that bought a shed & put all her extra junk in there & also furniture to make her home feel bigger & it worked. For example there were 2 sofas...she left only one out, her dining area looked tiny though it had 6 chairs, so she put away 2 chairs and took out that extra insert to expand the table to make it smaller & suddenly the dining room seemed big & spacious - stuff like that.

[RAINBOWWAVES]

Yes, you're so right. Trust me, there's no cutting corners as was mentioned, as the house has to pass many strict coding, that's why it takes so long to build. We had 3 powerful hurricanes here, 2 just 3 weeks apart and we didn't get a scratch, not even a tile...and ours was not the most expensive of houses..our builder was Holiday. There is plenty hidden things wrong with a second hand house. Some things that inspectors will pass. There's nothing like picking out your own stuff like your cabinets and rugs and or tile and tub and toilet, that no one ever sat on...LOL

[bamboosmom]

Rebecca, we are also offering the one year home warranty with our home. It does show like new also. Lots of curb appeal too
We adjusted the price yesterday by another $20,000. Now hopefully we are one of the best priced homes in our community that you can buy and not have to do a darn thing to!

[Jammie]

Bam, from the pics I've seen of your home and garden and pool, there's just nothing more you could do to make it attractive. It's not your home, it's the market. There was just a news story last night on national news about the decline in home sales. Our local paper and news station have also had things about that. It just seems to be a national situation at the moment and it will stabilize. It's just so difficult when you're waiting to sell and go elsewhere. Hang in there. Your home appears to definitely sellable.

[bamboosmom]

I have a good feeling that it will sell soon. Our home has so much more than the other active listings that are priced about the same or even more than ours. It's just a matter of time right now

[macguy]

Originally Posted by RAINBOWWAVES

Yes, you're so right. Trust me, there's no cutting corners as was mentioned, as the house has to pass many strict coding, that's why it takes so long to build. We had 3 powerful hurricanes here, 2 just 3 weeks apart and we didn't get a scratch, not even a tile...and ours was not the most expensive of houses..our builder was Holiday. There is plenty hidden things wrong with a second hand house. Some things that inspectors will pass. There's nothing like picking out your own stuff like your cabinets and rugs and or tile and tub and toilet, that no one ever sat on...LOL

You are talking about ordering up a custom built house, that is much different then walking into a new house you know nothing about. Passing inspections does not mean it is a good house it could be total crap. The cheapest appliances, the cheapest tile and floors. Roof that is nothing but particle board, they pass inspection by the way but are a lot different and cheaper then good plywood. Walls that are just dry wall that has been painted, and I am not talking well painted, but they pull a truck up out front and spray everything in like a couple of hours.

You bump the wall moving some furniture and you scratch it or even make a hole. Real plaster is almost nonexistent any more as is real 6 or 8 inch wood base boards. They often come with wall to wall carpet but if you lift it you find you don't even have a floor underneath just bare concrete. Facial boards that look fine when you move in but are not pressure treated and are rotting by the second year. Plumbing, electrical that meets the absolute minimum requirement and nothing more, and not even that if they can get away with it. Every dollar a builder can save on the cost of construction goes straight in his pocket, he has little incentive to do anything extra.

It may pass the minimum hurricane requirements but that doesn't not mean the house is any good, just it won't actually fall down. I would say that except for houses that are custom built for the owner to their own spects by their own builder, what I describe represents most tract homes offered in Florida. They are very talented at putting lipstick on pigs. The term cutting corners refers to not giving the value that is perceived and it often takes an expert to spot it. New home nightmares are so common I can't begin to tell you. Builders are sued all the time they are constantly changing names. You wonder how they stay in business or even out of jail, what many of them do seems criminal.

I have to add this, I have very little respect for inspectors. I many cases they are almost political jobs that you have to know somebody to get. I used to own a bar in Hollywood on Hollywood Blvd. right down from city hall. Those guys used to come in every day, what a bunch of idiots many of them were. I am not saying dishonest, just idiots. I recently had an experience with an inspector when I was replacing a roof on one of my buildings. It is a two story building with a pretty steep roof.

I put the ladder against the building and tied it off so it was very stable and safe for the inspection. the guy who showed up to inspect it seemed afraid to even get up of the high roof and just walked around it looking at it from the ground. I signed a paper saying it had all been nailed to current code and off he went. He had no idea whether that roof was done right or not. He was supposed to get up there and look at an area we left exposed so he could see we had done it right before we finished doing the shingling. To be honest, he didn't look like he should really be climbing on any roof if you know what I mean.

[robivi3]

I am in Sunrise, we are in a TH in the 250k range and homes are selling fine here. Within a week or two.

[bamboosmom]

Mac, you are right. They are building new homes in my community and they look like garbage on the outside. The walls are cracking already and they aren't even done yet. They are building them so fast but it doesn't seem like they are putting quality into them. Cheap carpets, kitchen cabinets, appliances, etc. Sure, when you look at the model it has all the upgrades and everything is perfect. I have a friend that bought a home from Adams homes and she is so unhappy with the home. It is made like garbage. Shame on her for not doing her homework. She paid almost close to $300,000 and doesn't even have a pool. There are spec homes all over for sale and I would say "buyer beware". Even the KB Homes that are being built look bad. Those are the ones with the cracks all over the outside of the home.

[Dee2e]

Originally Posted by lulu

I knew somebody that bought a shed & put all her extra junk in there & also furniture to make her home feel bigger & it worked. For example there were 2 sofas...she left only one out, her dining area looked tiny though it had 6 chairs, so she put away 2 chairs and took out that extra insert to expand the table to make it smaller & suddenly the dining room seemed big & spacious - stuff like that.

Good suggestion, LuLu. Actually, there are staging companies that can help you with getting the house in top shape for showing.

I usually suggest you pack away personal items too. You want to make the home feel like it is the perfect home for the buyer. You want them to envision their personal items in places, not to stare at the seller's personal items.

Pack all those dvds, tapes, cds, etc too. You don't to have them all on display while showing.

Another hint, declutter the kitchen! Buyers like a neat, clean and uncluttered kitchen. It makes the room look bigger too! Put the small applicances, canisters and all those kitchen tool containers away.

Good luck!

[bamboosmom]

Dee2e is right. Get the house in model condition. Put away all the clutter.
Well, as much as you can if possible. You still need to live in the house, but the more stuff you put away or pack, the better. Make sure the bathrooms are clean and smelling fresh. Have on all the lights and all the window curtains open when buyers come. Soft music, candles lit, etc. Try to go outside to make them feel comfortable in the home. Give them the feeling of comfort.