love my home. We are very fortunate to have found a simple, yet large house, featuring over a dozen rooms, with plenty of space for my three young children to romp around. I spend a lot of time tending to my yard, to my master bedroom suite, and our spacious kitchen.
However, I can remember not that long ago when my husband and I were out on the prowl to purchase our very first home. Our budget was low. (And I mean really, really low!) We both knew our options would be minimal. But, I also knew my standards. I was not going to grab anything just for price. After all, we had to live there!
We needed at least a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom, and two bedrooms. In Chicago, Illinois (which was were we lived), there were plenty of little two-bedroom houses. But it took what seemed forever to finally find a place that we were even willing to make an offer on. The problem with the houses we saw wasn't so much price. Even the neighborhoods we visited were acceptable. The trouble I had with all the houses we visited boiled down to one thing: appearance.
I wasn't looking for anything fancy. However, I certainly didn't want what I saw. You see, none of the owners of the houses we visited took any time to make their homes appealing to viewers. Chipped paint on porches, missing electrical socket covers, dirty carpets, peeling wallpaper, and dirty bathtubs were just a few examples of things that made me turn up my nose. I couldn't help it. I felt dirty just walking in to these homes, and I was certainly not going to buy a house that made me feel that way.
Had they prepared their homes for buyer viewing, they might have had better luck with us. After all, looking back, some of these homes had some very good qualities--better than what we actually bought. But the feeling I got touring those homes was so negative I wasn't able to visually digest any of these positive qualities.
My memories of house hunting came flooding back to me as I read over the article, Boost Your House Resale Value Instantly, by Susan Croes, MBA, this month's Your Home section. Ms. Croes is so right on! How much easier those grungy houses probably would have sold if they had taken the time to tend to minor, but easily-overlooked, details.
If you're selling your home, print out Ms. Croes article and keep it with you as you prepare for your first showing. You'll be glad you did!
