Can't Figure Some Realtors Out

[AuntB]

I love this topic as I have scratched my head for years over photos that are listed. Some things I can totally understand an agent not wanting to deal with...like a sink full of dishes, a pile of stinky laundry on the floor, or even big uncle Ned passed out in the recliner...BUT, how easy is it to take the large bag of doggy breath fresheners off the dining room table?? OR maybe to set aside the very large family portrait from INSIDE the fireplace box?? OR to put the ironing board somewhere else besides the foyer?? OR to hide the garbage can sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor....or roll the one in front of the garage door to the side of the house?? Some things just don't need to be photographed and are actually quite easy to remove from the scene.

NOW, I personally think HGTV has gone way overboard with staging for homes that are being lived in. I have 5 family pictures in my currently listed home. They are small and they're staying. My poor children are suffering without toys because I can't deal with cleaning up constantly but I refuse to be completely sterile in my own home. Too bad if people are so brainwashed they can't get over a few personal artifacts in home that is being lived in.

[Bill Keegan]

Originally Posted by tony23

I'm looking at buying a house 2,500 miles away from where I live now. Incomplete listings, or listings without photos, just don't get my attention. When I search for the criteria I'm looking for, I get 500 listings - I have to go through all those and narrow it down enough so that I can see them all in one trip.

I've seen something similar in the local real estate magazines, when I was looking locally- houses listed with no area or no price. If you can't put that info on the ad, why should I waste my time? There are plenty of other options for me to choose.

I don't know where you are looking, but if screening with yru criteria results in over 500 possibilities, I would suggest you get a little more specific. If you don't mind sharing with us, what are those criteria?

[BagongBuhay]

Some buyers fall in love with everything in a house. When I sold our house last year, the feedback I got from the buyer (she sent me a letter after moving in) is this:

1. I love the colors of your house...thank you for doing the decorating for me.
2. I love the curtains that you put on. I love the roman shades in the living room.
3. I love the tile in the bathroom and in the backsplash in the kitchen.
4. I love your wooden floors (please send me the name of your cleaning lady) so much so I did not want the movers to lay furniture on it for fear of scratching it. What type of cleaners do you use?
5. What brand of paint did you use so I can repaint a bedroom for my son. (I want the name of the painter you used)
6. Where did you buy your furniture? I want the exact style and color of yours.

All this, after she sent us through the wringer with an issue she made a big stink out of regarding mold in the crawlspace of the basement, which almost made the deal fall through!

I guess there's always a buyer whose decorating tastes will match the sellers. One agent had suggested I move the chaise to improve the flow. I said sorry, the chaise is made for watching the flat screen in this position and as long as we live here, we are not watching TV sideways with our head turned to the side. We did make sure that all beds are made at all times, the house smells good at all times, not fragrant, just fresh, the floors and carpets always vacuumed, the fixtures always sparkly, the counters left without a crumb for each and every showing. I remembered missing fish and shrimp for a loooooong time, but whatever sells sells. We touched up the paint of the front door, planted some flower boxes at the entrance and voila! I know it's a tough market even more so but every little effort counts.

BTW, I took the pictures and my agent is okay with that. But I know how to take photographs so I guess she didn't mind.

[palmcoasting]

Originally Posted by 70Ford

Would you buy a car that smelled nice and appeared well taken care of - - - or the one that has the passenger seat filled with cigarette butts and cat feces?

After all...a car is a car. Much as another poster said, it causes you to wonder about hidden damage and/or maintenance issues. Don't get me wrong - I do see your point. I bet you can see mine too, though.

Excuse me, but this is what the op stated:

I've seen photos of bedrooms painted in flourescent colors, photos with pets in them, homes with personal photos all over the walls (which by now everyone knows is a no-no), PEOPLE in the photos (watching t.v. or hanging around), back yards cluttered with plastic kindercrap - all things that would be easy an easy fix.

Paint is no big deal. Pets are no big deal unless you are allergic. Personal photos? Come on...is that a big deal? (oh, wait...that's a big no-no), omg, there are PEOPLE in the house! and holy moley, they have KIDS! Look at the jungle gym!!
All of the above is quite different than cat feces in a small enclosed area, don't you think? The above is an HGTV mindset. And my point is that paint ain't nothing, people, kids and pets are nothing (they aren't staying), clothes on the floor are nothing (they aren't staying), personal photos aren't anything(they aren't staying) and often times the new buyer might actually want the jungle gym because they too have kids and those things can be expensive.

While it is best to clean up, spruce up and fix what can be fixed, it is not the Realtor® that need to do so. And it is often times in the interest of the buyer to look at these houses because you will often times get a better buy for such places.
As for how you figure out what houses to look at? You look at room sizes, the flow of the rooms via the pics or tour, the size of the property, the age of the home and major components, the location, the roof line...the things you CAN'T change. And you consult with the Realtor® who is in the area and has often times already previewed or shown the homes.
I deal with a lot of buyers from out of town. I can't tell you the number of times I've heard "but it looked so good in the pictures!". Or..."I would have never picked this house online, it looked terrible"
I'm just trying to point out you are doing yourself a disservice by going only going by pictures on a computer and that the OP's rant against the Realtor® is unjustified.

[70Ford]

Originally Posted by palmcoasting

Life isn't HGTV. I'm often amazed that people will look at pictures and make a decision about a house. I'm often amazed that people will discount a house because there are clothes laying around. I can't believe some people will buy a house because of the way a couch is placed or they like how the furniture looks or there are well placed vases and candles. You're purchasing the STRUCTURE and LOCATION not someone's color of the walls or their clothes laying around. The sellers are just people, living a life. I can make suggestions to them and if they don't follow them...oh well. They are advised it may cost them quite a bit of money because some people can't get beyond it to the meat of the matter.
As for making a duplex look like a single home, to me, it's incorrect. But...they had nice pictures!
.

I think I overinterpreted this portion of your post, Palmcoasting. I can still see those brown streaked dwawers laying on the carpet. You could smell them. If your selling your home, and you can't be bothered to pick up your Hershey stained underwear daily...then there's a breakdown, somewhere.

I was thinking of that extreme example when I made my post. Personally, I don't care if the house is "sterile" or not. It think it should be in a marketable condition, though. We are all human beings. We emit odors, we have children with toys, we cook and make the house reek of garlic...OMG I love garlic.

Woops... hey....throwing it back out there...my apologies if I offended you.

[OneDayAttaTime]

I think I'd explain to the seller that we want him to get the most money possible and in the shortest amount of time. The old WIIFM (WHATS IN IT FOR ME)