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When we sold our house in NC, by far the most common feedback was that the house was too small. Really?? The square footage is right up there with the number of beds/baths and the price. "If you need a larger house, you need to be looking at larger houses, people!"
Actually, I give a pass on this. Square footage alone doesn't tell the story. Sometimes a well designed and laid out home with less square footage can feel larger and more livable than a poorly laid out but bigger house. I think most people really do need to see something in person to make that determination - and photos can be deceiving.
Because there's always the chance that there will be something else about the house they will love SO much that they won't consider them dealbreakers anymore.
The only feedback that matters is an offer, but some comments can be annoying. Sometimes you can try to ward them off. I noticed one agent in our area amended a recent listing with a message to buyer's agents to tell their clients ahead of time that there were train tracks in the back yard. I guess some people don't look on Google Earth before going out.
Actually, many people don't. Just because you know and use certain technologies doesn't mean others do.
I had only a couple "musts" (that were absolutely for practical reasons) and then a long list of "wants". My agent was pretty good about taking me to houses that mostly matched, and I asked to go to some others that she knew wouldn't be quite right. I didn't even realize she might be giving feedback to the seller's agent. She did tell me not to make too many comments in the house because (at least around here) they record you sometimes.
I did have feedback that could have been helpful. One house had so many religious items all over the walls, I couldn't even see the house. Another house *really* needed brighter light bulbs (I have no idea why, but all the lightbulbs in the house were very low wattage and I couldn't even see the house).
But mostly it would be things that couldn't be changed that I didn't like, such as the lay out, yard (i.e. one had a 20 foot drop off a retaining wall and I didn't want to put my kids or pets at risk of falling), too steep of a drive way, or I didn't like the neighborhood. I don't know why the agent would even bother to give that feed back, but maybe she did.
I ended up finding a house that had our must haves and almost all our wants. Score!
Me too. I went to some houses that looked great in the very strategic professional pictures, but were not quite like the brochure when we got there. There were a few that I didn't even bother getting out of the car for.
I ran into that too. I actually re-toured 2 houses because I loved them online, got in and really disliked them but later thought...hey let me check again...and again they were all about camera tricks and advertising.
We bought our house even though it had one major deal-breaker and one minor deal breaker because it was actually set up in a way that made those deal breakers not seem so bad.
And everything else was awesome.
Years ago we went house hunting and needed something with a guest room and shower downstairs for our disabled moms. Our realtor showed us many homes but most had no shower. So sometimes it's the buyer's agent that is the problem.
I think you answered you own question. They don't want tile floors, but that's something an owner COULD change. Obviously once they saw the house they evaluated it as not worth that expense for other reasons not known to you.
Very few of us get our dream house. I know I've compromised on one or more things in every house I've purchased. If I only looked at houses that hit every single thing on my list of desires, I'd still be renting an apartment.
I've had lots of buyers make exceptions to the deal breakers they thought they had, or started with, at the beginning.
Every house is a compromise on something.
Flooring type is so easy to change or adapt to, it shouldn't be a deal breaker for anyone.
IMHO, the real problem is putting too much trust in requested buyer feedback. Choosing a house is subjective and personal and they didn't like it for whatever reason... you won't like any of the reasons. If they didn't bring up price, you're doing well.
Flooring can be one of the most expensive things to change, depending on the square footage involved and the type of flooring to be removed. Ceramic tile over a large area would be very expensive to replace with something else. And the price for the house isn't lowered by the fact it has ceramic tile, since that wouldn't be considered a negative for the house, like laminated countertops or an old roof.
Yes... I bought it and moved in immediately... spent a year of nights and weekend working on it as money would allow... did all my own work.... sheetrock, insulation, windows, electric, plumbing, kitchen, bath, roof, etc.
It really was a great experience... buying, working on it and the social aspect of being the new kid on the block AND proving friends and family wrong when they said I was in over my head and it was foolish to put all my money into the place.
I still own it today and on my second renter... it was always free and clear from day one... I was house poor... sold the car I restored to come up with some of the money... 68 Camaro Z28
The deal breaker going was the condition... but through a sharp Real Estate broker that knew the estate was facing a condemnation hearing I was able to buy it for 1/3 or MLS asking... for 67% off I was off to the join the ranks of homeownership.
I was not unusual in that several of my friends did similar... many took 4 or 5 moves to reach their forever home...
Right in the heart of the SF Bay Area a few blocks below East 14th in East Oakland.
But I did have a couple of non-negotiable items. I kept emphasizing that to my agent and she kept showing me condos that didn't fit.
The first agent I used for my current home buying was like this. I told her I was flexible on everything except 2 things. It had to be in a quiet location and no neighbors within 1,000 feet. I was looking for acreage. Otherwise, I didn't care if it was site built, a mobile home or a fixer as long as it wasn't in too bad shape. She kept taking me to homes that had neighbors as close as 100 feet. Or homes next to a noisy business like an auto repair shop. I guess she thought that I'd fall in love with the house and would compromise on my only deal-breakers.
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