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As an aid to all sellers, let us ask buyers to list things they are looking for.
Please no specific/personal horror shows and no simple repeats like the overly used real estate mantras of location, location, location, and now price, price, price. We all know those things are very, very important and play a significant role...and feel free to list them..but please..list them only once...LOL
List the things you want/are impressed by...school zone/area...curb appeal...neighborhood appeal...first walk in the place wow factors (smell from cookies baking...LOL)...less commute time to work...etc.
An example. Personally, curb and neighborhood appeal are more important to me then school zone/area. I have no school age children children thus as a buyer, schools are not that important to me and would be far down my list.
Go for it. No insults, no envy, no disagreeing, etc. Let it be a learning experience. Just lists and reasons for.
All the things you describe are either happening BEFORE a buyer gets to your house
(school district, price range, curb appeal photo) or silly like the cookies.
A buyer wants clarity and simplicity and value.
No surprises, no gotchas, everything working as it should...
clean, clear, ready to move in even if everything isn't brand new...
and all priced at a number that reflects the current realities.
If your a "traditional" private seller (no short or FC issues with 3rd party banks etc)...
be ready to deal when a qualified buyer shows up even if your asking number is already "FMV".
Get a real pro for your listing agent and LISTEN to them.
If you can't get the #1 listing Grande Dame of your zip code have the #2.
No "Cousin Shirley" or your golf buddy's wife nonsense...
and worse yet... no FSBO.
-One level as I am older. Or at least the master on the 1st level but that would be a far second choice.
-good landscaping
-fenced yard big enough for my dogs to run around
-no weird layouts, everything is intuitively obvious
-entrance hall/foyer
-no interest in carpet but I can deal with that if I have to; preference is for real wood, stone, slate, or stained concrete
-no industrial anywhere near
When we were looking...we had a 3 year old. Here were our requirements:
First and foremost - Cul-de-sac or circle or near a dead end. We lived on a through street in Texas and I worried constantly that my son would get outside and get hit by a car.
Open floor plan (great room concept with kitchen/nook/family room all open to each other)
Low/no HOA fees
We would have loved a 1-story home or master down but there are so few of them here that we gave it up pretty quickly.
All the schools here are highly rated, but proximity was important. I didn't want to live in an area where it would be a long drive to schools. I spent a lot of time driving my step-kids 15 miles each way (and pick up later) to visit classmates because we had a very wide school boundary.
We bought a house in really crappy condition and horrible interior so as much as I would like to say clean, move-in ready, everything in good working condition, the other items won out for us. However, I can say that most of the clients I show houses to cannot see beyond dirt, dust, clutter, odd paint, or ugly furniture and decor. Clean, clean, clean, fix anything that's broken, and touch up paint - that goes a very long way with most buyers.
Quiet safe neighborhood with a grocery store nearby;
Fenced yard with at least 30 feet between houses;
Prefer no high maintenance landscaping and no trees to blow down; just grass.
3+ bedroom, 2+ bath;
Granite kitchen counters, neutral colors paint and carpet;
Pantry closet or cabinet in kitchen;
Good floor plan;
Large, luxurious shower;
Lots of closet space;
Big area inside for home gym, such as a second family room;
Nice big garage;
No stairs;
No strong smells like cigars or pets;
A real laundry room, inside and near master bedroom;
Attractive light fixtures/sources;
Well maintained and neat, no clutter, clean, no obvious repairs needed;
I do tend to "fall for" nicely staged homes, and homes with columns, arches, crown molding, French doors, and so on.
Hope that is the sort of list you had in mind. I am not presently looking but may be in a few years.
Outdoor areas that have been well-tended, like the appearance of the house, landscaping and even little things like the door hardware. I light all the lights on the place, and maybe some soft music and a scented candle, with NO OWNERs THERE. All clutter put away, all personal photos put away.
Neighborhood is very important to me. I don't care how much I loved the house or the price, if the neighborhood is full of messy yards and cluttered streets (cars parking on the streets) etc I would not buy.
Other big deal is access to jogging trails/greenbelt or park.
Minimum of 3 full baths. (sorry, but with 2 kids this is a must)
I can overlook cosmetic imperfections if the price is right.
No odors from smokers or pets. This is a huge turnoff.
(1) Neighborhood (I don't know how this differs from 'location') (Seller can't reasonably change this)
(2) A sensible layout per square footage - I wanted a good balance between private space (bedrooms, bathrooms) and entertainment space (living room, dining room, kitchen). (Seller can't reasonably change this)
(3) Not a completely-open floorplan. (Seller can't reasonably change this)
(4) Sensible finishes per price point. At the higher end of my price range, I expected recently-updated and non-personalized kitchens and bathrooms. At the lower end of the range, I anticipated original or personalized finishes but expected everything to be serviceable. (Seller CAN change this)
All the things you describe are either happening BEFORE a buyer gets to your house
(school district, price range, curb appeal photo) or silly like the cookies.
A buyer wants clarity and simplicity and value.
No surprises, no gotchas, everything working as it should...
clean, clear, ready to move in even if everything isn't brand new...
and all priced at a number that reflects the current realities.
If your a "traditional" private seller (no short or FC issues with 3rd party banks etc)...
be ready to deal when a qualified buyer shows up even if your asking number is already "FMV".
Get a real pro for your listing agent and LISTEN to them.
If you can't get the #1 listing Grande Dame of your zip code have the #2.
No "Cousin Shirley" or your golf buddy's wife nonsense...
and worse yet... no FSBO.
hth
What is wrong with FSBO, if I cant sell the house for break even why would I pay a realitor fee and be underwater. I would assume that if I list the place low enough on craigslist without a realitor I should get some hits but if I listed at that same price with a realitor it would eat my lunch and defeat the purpose of selling the house which is to rent cheaper and increase my save rate to buy a plane to enter the aerobatic flying circuit
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