Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder Buyer When should a listing agent (representing the Seller) explicitly market that a home “needs cosmetic updates” (or the equivalent)? Less often than you might guess. Here are my three reasons why: One. The pictures tell the story. Most MLS’s allow 18 photos; websites like EdinaRealty.com effectively allow...Read More
Affording the Payment. Just. One of the anomalies in today’s uneven, quirky housing market is the home that — due to relentless price cutting and/or lengthy market time — Buyers can now afford, but which won’t leave them with any leftover money for related expenses. I’m thinking of two situations in particular: One. The Upper Bracket...Read More
“Tear Down This Wall(paper)!?!” No, Ronald Reagan didn’t say that — a Realtor did. Earlier this week I attended a Realtor meeting in a very impressive — but cosmetically dated — home, where, after extolling the home’s many virtues, the listing agent/host asked for input. “Tear it down,” came the first agent comment. “The wallpaper,”...Read More
Prepping For Sale You can pay me now, or pay me later. –Oil filter commercial, circa 1970’s One of the more difficult conversations listing agents can have with their Sellers concerns spending (some) money to prep their home for sale. That’s an especially sensitive topic if some (or all) of the homeowner’s motivation for selling...Read More
