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I looked at a house 2 years ago that had been a flip. It was built in the 60's and was a good sturdy house but the investors just did cosmetic stuff: all new floors, kitchen, granite, stainless steel, etc. It looked beautiful. Unfortunately when I had the inspection it showed lots of things wrong including improper electrical, the DW in the kitchen was just for show, it wasn't hooked up because the house originally never had a dishwasher. Every window was 50 years old and inefficient (some cracked) and the garage door needed to be replaced. It would have cost a lot of money because the house had a lot of windows. They bought the house for $65K, did some cosmetic work and were asking $129,000! Some idiot actually bought it at that price. Even with all the repairs that needed to be done, this house in this older but nice part of town would never sell for more than $130K.
Beware of investors who just do cosmetic work. Always get a reliable inspector because unfortunately too many investors just want the house to look good so they can make money.
I wouldn't worry about windows, no matter how many, because once I find the house I want to buy and live in, I will want to put in top-of-the-line windows in the most important rooms, not just new and nice looking, but truly functional and to my taste. I know that most people in the price range I want will not put in the best quality windows, just a house full of "OK" windows. Even million dollar+ homes don't have windows nearly as good quality as one I have installed here. So, I'd prefer not to have to pay more in the sales price of a home for brand new windows that are not top-of-the-line.
For my 1970's era home here I bought and had professionally installed the best low-E dual pane with noble gas-filled window near the bed and my handyman made a sill to my standards, finishing it off just as I wanted. The window has the gas between layers, and makes the world literally disappear when it comes to noise, heat, wind or cold. I really love it. It fits like a glove.
I have had to leave a couple of the oldest windows alone, because although I don't have or need whole house air conditioning (it's the SF Bay Area and I have R-39 batted insulation in the attic and a ceiling fan over the bed), there are usually a few weeks when I am much more comfortable in my home office once my husband installs a window A/C there and another one in the master bedroom bathroom (which flows directly towards me in the bedroom, as we have a cross-draft set up). With new windows installed, the A/C units would not fit. The casement unit in the bathroom would be impossible to replace (even the same unit would not fit in the new-style windows) so a new window installed would mean I couldn't fit any A/C at all there.
Last edited by SFBayBoomer; 05-20-2016 at 09:23 PM..
The windows would be a huge expense to me, a widow on a fixed income. I certainly didn't want to take out a 2nd mortgage to replace 20+ windows. Plus I live in Florida where it is extremely hot for 6-8 months out of the year. Windows need to be efficient here not to have a tremendous electric bill.
I am anything but stupid, but I do have spacial issues. I would bring a tape measure. I also use homemade newspaper templates, taped and folded into the measurements of furniture to place them to see how they work.
I can't tell you how many mistakes I've avoided, and how much money I've saved from not buying the wrong table...
I learned this the hard way very early on. I bought a refrigerator without measuring the space it would have to fit into..... Fortunately the stars were perfectly aligned that day, and the refrigerator fit, but even though I have since become much more space savvy I still do always take a tape measure with me now along with the measurements of critical items
Those of you familiar with marketing will know that there are multiple segments of buyers for any product. Some of them are reflected in these comments, that is those who say look past the clutter. And that is a valid segment. But my experience is that the segment of buyers who don't look past the clutter is far larger. To them, perception is the reality. If they drive up to a home, or see pictures on the MLS/web that shows clutter, they will assume that the current owners don't care, and that this might carry over to the critical components of the house, foundation, roof, HVAC, plumbing, electrical.
If a certain house is cluttered or has bad photography, it may well be competing with others in the same price range that are not.
Let's think this through. First, we're going to declutter the home. Your Realtor may even pay for a stager to come in and give you a professional consult. Cost: about $200 or less. Follow her advice. She may have encouraged you to paint (y'know, your teen's room with the garish color or the family room with your football team's colors). Then do some repair work, replace cartridges in leaky faucets, replace broken drawers in bathrooms and kitchens. Cost: probably $200?
Next, you're going to clean everything as best as you can. Even the outsides of upper floor windows. Never underestimate the value of clean windows. Got scratches on your sliding glass door from your dog? That's okay, it's reasonable wear and tear. Don't forget to clean the air intake grill for the HVAC. Ask a friend, neighbor, or Realtor to come walk through your house and point out anything you missed. Have them take a deep breath when they walk in. Are there any odors in the house due to animals, smoking, or cooking? Mitigate those.
Then you're going to bring in a professional photographer. Cost: about $150. (Note: many Realtors pay for stager and photos, not the sellers.)
Now for less than $600 (less if your Realtor paid for pix and staging) you've got your house in great shape. That money will be worth it because you won't have to decrease the price to sell your house. Your traffic will increase and stats show that homes that are staged sell quicker and for more money than those that don't.
If you show pride in your home. The buyers will see it and will be attracted to it. (Now, if you are trying to sell a home you own that has tenants in it, that's a different scenario with different expectations. Don't confuse the two.)
On the staging because buyers are too stupid thing... I find it absolutely infuriating on the shows when a "buyer" walks into an empty room and says "and what is this room for?" IT'S WHATEVER YOU NEED IT FOR. I'm firmly convinced that these people who cannot picture a space with their own things never read books as children.
As an investor i don't care what crap you leave on your counters if the price is right and we can work a deal I will buy your home. Because let's face it all that stuff will be gone when you move. Chances are I am not even keeping those counter tops anyway.
Mike, this may be true for YOU personally but remember the goal is to attract a wide audience. Glenn is spot on with his assessment. Some people want move-in ready (or at least that appearance) and not expect to have to rip out counter tops and other items to make it function for them.
On the staging because buyers are too stupid thing... I find it absolutely infuriating on the shows when a "buyer" walks into an empty room and says "and what is this room for?" IT'S WHATEVER YOU NEED IT FOR. I'm firmly convinced that these people who cannot picture a space with their own things never read books as children.
LOL! You may be right about not having read books. I can tell you from talking to both buyers and agents who participated in those house hunting shows that they are about as far from reality as possible. In many cases, the buyers have already purchased the homes and they are just reenacting for the cameras.
Let me just say, I'd love it if I only had to show three homes and then they decided to buy one.
Glenn you'd like us then. We showed the Realtor the house we wanted from the MLS and the only thing they had to do was take us there for a walkthrough and then we wrote our offer.
I disagree. Homes are lived in. People work. Life gets hectic. I can look past mail piled on a table or an unmade bed. What I cannot overlook is overflowing trash or actual filth and grime. Messy is one thing. Dirty is another. Cludder doesn't bother me provided it is relative. I.e. A pile of books and CDs in an office. A hamper full of laundry out visible for buyers to see in a bedroom. A cat box in a basement (though that is borderline gross if the cat box wasn't changed before showings). I think people have crazy high expectations and unless your price point is high or the house is competing with other homes in an elite neighborhood, buyers need to lower expectations.
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Fortunately the stars were perfectly aligned that day, and the refrigerator fit, but even though I have since become much more space savvy I still do always take a tape measure with me now along with the measurements of critical items 
