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I think the agents are painting my generation as obnoxiously picky.
If I look at my group of friends that have bought houses, its about 50-50. So, half of them bought houses without fences.
I will say, in our situation, it really helped push us over the edge. But we looked at and made or were prepared to make offers on homes without fences, or with fences decrepit enough that you couldn't let the dog alone with them.
Thanks! I think you may be right that this age group is being seen as picky. FWIW, I don't they see it as an obnoxious pickiness but as something that has to do with financing.
In other words, (or so they say) this group of buyers need a house that is turn key in the style that they wish because they can get a mortgage for a higher priced house, but they can't get a loan to do home repairs on their own. Hope I worded that correctly. At least, that's what I hear realtors saying.
I agree that focusing on a specific generation is odd. Millenials range in age from 22-37. I don't think there is a significant difference between the preferences of 37 year old versus a 40 year old.
There are also many buyers in Gen X age range.
Agreed. For heaven's sake, individual preferences for home buyers vary far more widely than generational preferences. You might have two people of exactly the same age who have a totally different take on what a "must have" list looks like. The OP loves to oversimplify and seems preoccupied with young buyers for a house that he/she has already stated many times doesn't appeal to buyers of this age bracket. So color me confused.
I am 34 and my fiancee is 38. So technically we belong to two different generations. According to the OP we are probably completely incompatible because I need everything painted gray and won't do any modifications to any house I buy. In reality, I flipped two houses in college and don't have a single gray room anywhere.
The OP strikes me as someone with too much time on their hands.
I have read your (many) posts about listing your house and you have said over and over that your community is not one for younger first time buyers, but more of a step up in an exurb of DC. I am a millennial and would never even consider such a property. I am sure there are others that would but they are probably not your main target market.
Your posts make us sound like we are foreign invaders and not people with cash-- like we have a separate and distinct language, culture and customs that don't translate to the average person. No/only fences? Only toddler and dogs? Come on. Frankly, your posts are somewhat insulting and paint with a broad stereotypical brush. I have personally both fenced and taken down fences in properties I have lived in. Its not like we suffer from some sort of paralysis. Young and old, people like to modify their surroundings.
Why not focus on SELLING your HOUSE with a realtor who is actually familiar with the trends in your area instead of looking for approval on these boards?
LOL Hey, I'm just asking what people on this forum think of something I've heard realtors say. If you don't like what realtors are saying, get mad at them.
Speaking about things realtors say, they're also the ones who say millennials are the largest percentage of buyers in exurban DC. I don't know if it's true or not but I'll take their word for it that this is a group of buyers worth catering to. Or at least paying attention to. I totally get it that it might not be a place you'd choose, though. Lots of young people feel that way.
By the way, I do agree with you that typecasting is insulting, not to mention useless a lot of times. Sorry you were insulted. Unfortunately it can be a necessary evil if you are trying to sell something and you want to appeal to the widest number of people in a certain group. Whether or not that's a worthy goal is a good topic, but maybe for another thread.
On a side note, I no longer have a house for sale, but thanks for the advice. So these days I am simply posting because I enjoy talking with people in this forum about real estate trends. What can I say, I find it interesting. Might even be useful someday, since I'm bound to be selling a house or two at some future date. It's all good.
It's not just dogs and kids. Lots have gotten so small and houses so tightly jammed together that a fence is the only way to separate out some personal space for yourself. Otherwise you feel like you are sharing common areas with your neighbors.
Hmm, this makes sense. I never really understood why developers were so dead set against fences anyway. My previous community actually had an HOA provision specifically saying that the community was designed to not have fences but if you really really wanted one you could fill in lots of paperwork, get written permission from all the neighbors, and go through various other hassles before presenting your case to the HOA.
Personally, I always thought that was odd. Good fences make good neighbors, as they say.
The only thing I can guess is the HOA was trying to avoid disputes over people putting fences on property that actually belonged to someone else. But that could be a wild guess. If this is something the upcoming generation of buyers insist upon, in many ways that's a good thing in my opinion.
Thanks! I think you may be right that this age group is being seen as picky. FWIW, I don't they see it as an obnoxious pickiness but as something that has to do with financing.
In other words, (or so they say) this group of buyers need a house that is turn key in the style that they wish because they can get a mortgage for a higher priced house, but they can't get a loan to do home repairs on their own. Hope I worded that correctly. At least, that's what I hear realtors saying.
Yes, younger folks buying their first home are less likely to have a lot of cash lying around to undertake significant improvement projects, and fences aren't cheap.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Piney Creek
Hmm, this makes sense. I never really understood why developers were so dead set against fences anyway. My previous community actually had an HOA provision specifically saying that the community was designed to not have fences but if you really really wanted one you could fill in lots of paperwork, get written permission from all the neighbors, and go through various other hassles before presenting your case to the HOA.
Personally, I always thought that was odd. Good fences make good neighbors, as they say.
The only thing I can guess is the HOA was trying to avoid disputes over people putting fences on property that actually belonged to someone else. But that could be a wild guess. If this is something the upcoming generation of buyers insist upon, in many ways that's a good thing in my opinion.
Sometimes its about the "look." My parents don't live in an HOA neighborhood but there is some significant zoning. No one has a fence, and my dad wouldn't put one in because it would have looked out of place. I have no idea if its allowed or not.
Here is the house. It’s clean, painted everything works and is excellent condition and has new floor/carpet. Most likely it will be already remodeled to my likes wants needs. The kitchen is going to be very user friendly and so will everything else. I’m not changing anything about it because it’s MY house. If you like it buy it if you don’t go find another one. I’m not going to repaint or remodel it
Your post points perfectly to the shallowness and idiocy of the millenials. "Oh look: a cool backsplash!!" Meanwhile, the roof is leaking a like sieve, or the HVAC is on its last legs......
Ouch. I’m a millennial and we just bought a temporary house that is pretty much original from 1969, except the owner had just put in a new roof, had new high end windows within the last two years, and kept it impeccably clean.
We still have to update all the electrical and got a new hot water heater since the old one was about rusted out, but not a word of updating was breathed by either my husband or me until we had the assessment of the house systems thoroughly priced and scheduled. Our main goal are solidifying all the unsexy and critical things that nobody sees so the house lives well - the cosmetic stuff is just what we are doing since a fair bit of drywall has now been ripped up to address the systems.
This is our third house and we have worked extensively on all of them, from critical functions on down to fixtures and paint and landscaping. Don’t paint us all with a broad brush as shallow and idiotic and incapable - that’s a complete fallacy. The fact is most of our friends have done the same - worked slowly and carefully on personalizing and improving modest older homes. And none did it the flipper way - with no regard to the important guts.
There are more and less capable people in every generation, and always those who don’t value what they sensibly should. That doesn’t mean they are the majority, just the easiest to mock.
Don’t paint us all with a broad brush as shallow and idiotic and incapable - that’s a complete fallacy. The fact is most of our friends have done the same - worked slowly and carefully on personalizing and improving modest older homes. And none did it the flipper way - with no regard to the important guts.
There are more and less capable people in every generation, and always those who don’t value what they sensibly should. That doesn’t mean they are the majority, just the easiest to mock.
Well said.
The OP is a retiree who just poses long winded questions (often wrapped in "this is what I heard someone else say") as a social outlet because apparently the use of this forum is chit chat and not getting actual advice/guidance. He/she seems to be obsessed with "the younger generation" with regard to staging a home that is apparently already sold. The OP's posts read like backhanded generational bashing. There is a lot of that on C-D. I am sure that any one of us could come up with stereotypes about Baby Boomers and how they all need/want certain things in their houses that younger people, be they Gen X, Millennial, Gen Y whatever, find ridiculous, but that would be both inaccurate and mean spirited.
That seems weird to specifically mention millennials but I guess it depends on the specific neighborhood or city .
I sold my home about six months ago and the listing agent I went with definitely recommended painting and some other things but I knew the house needed it too . With the market the way it is here though inventory is so low people are desperate to buy almost anything priced right .
The listing agent did have a stager come and made a lot of recommendations but it seemed overkill for the area so I just did more minimal stuff.
A lot of it really depends on what the comps look like . The inventory . How long are days on market . I’d probably rather offer the home at a discount versus spending a lot on improvements .
I know the OP has come back and explained themselves, but here are a couple things I want to add:
I think fences are a regional thing. I grew up in NE Ohio, and fences aren't everywhere. Whether or not a house has a fence will affect the market size no more than if the house has a 2nd story.
Current trends aren't a generational thing. My aunt and uncle, who are just about 60, bought and remodeled a house, and it looks like it could have been taken from any number of HGTV shows. I, on the other hand, who might be called an "Xennial", prefer my 116 year old house that hasn't seen any major updates in over 60 years. Although, I guess the millennial stereotype isn't that they prefer current trends, but that they need the seller to make the changes, because they can't afford to make those changes, themselves.
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Hey, I'm just asking what people on this forum think of something I've heard realtors say. If you don't like what realtors are saying, get mad at them. 
