If you can smell it, you can't sell it!
By Mark Talis |
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So, you can't figure out why your house isn't selling. You say you're willing to price your house based on today's market. You understand that competition is high, and you will do everything possible to prepare your home to sell. So why isn't your house selling?
Back in kindergarten, we learned about the five senses: sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. Using these senses will help you sell your home.
Sight
Duh, people. Clean your house. Get everything out of sight, no clutter, wash your windows, bathtub, floors, straighten closets, make your bed, and clean everything. Take down your personal pictures. You know that big collage of you and your friends from college? It's time to let go. Get it off the wall. Wow, is that a six-foot-tall co-ed Division E softball trophy on the mantle? That's so cool! Put it away immediately! While I'm sure that really impresses the ladies, if it won't impress the buyer, get rid of it. Religion, politics, and porn: anything that has to do with these subjects, place in a box and take it to your next house. Depending on what you're into, you may need two boxes. Your views/activities may be diametrically opposed to those of a potential buyer, so let's not eliminate them because you keep a shrine to Jenna Jameson in your living room. Your house should be so clean, people will question whether you live there.
Smell
Rule No. 1: All poo is bad. You don't hear people saying, "Oh joy, is that poo?" No one likes poo. Clean the litter box, fish bowl, backyard, and anywhere your pet does its business. Oh, and your baby's poo isn't cute either; it smells worse than the dog's. So get rid of the dirty diapers. Light a candle, bake some cookies, make it smell pretty.
Hearing
This one is easy. Anything jazz. Put the Jazz channel on your TV and you're done. No heavy metal or rap. I had feedback from a showing to the effect of, "The house showed well, however, after hearing the song about someone bleeping the hoes in the back of the van, and then capping the crew with his 'nine,' my wife and mother-in-law decided this just wasn't the right house for us."
Touch
This really applies to the buyer. They will put their hands on anything they can, so sellers beware. Buyers will open your closet, cabinets, and fridge. One client of mine would search for info on the seller by looking at unopened mail left on a table. Yes, she was extremely nosey and she wouldn't even go upstairs on a great house because she figured out the seller's name was Ryan; she had dated a Ryan and wouldn't buy a house from a Ryan. Sounds like there may be some issues for Dr. Phil on this one. Not my area, I just sell houses.
Taste
Okay, so I haven't really figured out how this sense fits into selling a house, but it couldn't hurt if your walls tasted like snozberries. Seriously: make your house so attractive, potential buyers want it so bad they can just taste it. I guess. Taste is a tough one for my analogy.
Bottom line, this is an extremely tough market for sellers. Buyers have many options, so eliminate any excuse they can find to pass on your home.
Mark Talis
Gledhill Robbins & Talis Group
Real Living HER
730 S High St.
www.GRT-GROUP.com
direct: (614) 554-6355
fax: (866) 871-8223
Originally Published: May 1, 2009
