What buyers really think of your house is elusive. It can be hard to unearth the real complains.
I had a seller call me in a rage because the buyers who had just viewed the house were extremely insulting in what they had to say about it. There were some legitimate concerns happening with this house, but the comments were savage. How did the seller even know? It turns out they had been listening on the security cameras! That’s not legal, by the way. Don’t do that. I had to explain this expectation of privacy to the seller who promised not to do it again. In this case, the injury was already done, but in reality we got some useful intel!
The Truth Hurts
Sellers usually don’t get this unfiltered critique. Buyers and their agents don’t want to hurt the seller’s feelings. Often the feedback is “It just wasn’t a great fit. There might be more…”
Here are the most common things I hear from buyers. These are objections you CAN do something about.
Smell
Pretty much all houses have a smell at least some of the time, but the people living there don’t smell it. Your brain tunes it out. Sorry. It’s true! Especially if you have pets, smoke or if you do a lot of cooking. That front loading washing machine needs cleaning. Dirty laundry needs washing.
And smell is a direct connection to people’s brains and their emotions. Even though it has nothing to do with the house, the buyer might have a negative reaction to the house in part because of how it smells. I think this is why carpet is consistently ranked as one of the top investments you can make in your house when selling it. Consider replacing carpet before selling. It’s not all that expensive and it affects a large visual field.
Keep the litter box uber clean.
Dark
Buyers don’t want to buy a cave. They want it bright. Paint it a light color, open windows, replace bulbs with a consistent light color. Don’t mix warm and cool bulbs in the same space because you are too lazy to get them consistent. That looks tacky. I’ve even had sellers mix light colors in the same fixture, but I degrees. Light and bright.
Cramped
You’ve collected lots of stuff. Maybe too much furniture, or too large, or both. You want the rooms and closets to look ample. Thin down. Remove distracting collections. Consider what and how much hangs on the walls.
The advice here is to thin down. You might even want to empty the house and stage it so that the rooms feel good size and the flow is good.
Filthy
This one drives me crazy because it is super fixable. I walk through houses that have food stuck to the cabinets and walls, dust on the light fixtures, fans, vents and surfaces, mildew in the tub and shower. You should absolutely do or buy a deep clean before listing and make an extra effort to keep it clean for showings, including making the bed and keeping laundry out of sight.
Substandard Work
A lot of owners do work themselves, especially painting. But we can see all those uneven lines where the wall meets the ceiling. They may be small but they detract from the feeling of quality. If you don’t think you can do a great job, hire someone who can. That goes for tiling the bathroom too.
Overpriced
This goes unsaid more than you think. It is so important to price based on compatible sales that are of similar quality, similar condition, similar area, because the buyers might not say the words overpriced even when they think it is.
This stuff is emotional and feedback can hurt, but the most damaging negatives MIGHT never make it to your ears. Ask your friend that tells it like it is. Or ask your Realtor to give it to you straight.
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