There's NO excuse!!!!
One of my very favorite clients grew up in a dirt floor cabin out in southwest Virginia. When we looked at houses, he would get so frustrated by the lack of cleanliness. He once said to me, "You know Tina, I grew up poor...extremely poor, with 8 brothers and sisters in a 2 bedroom cabin. But we were grateful for what we had and took care of it. You don't have to have money to be clean".
PLEASE! Clean your house before and during it's time on the market! If you can't clean it, find someone who can. Your home is on display when potential buyers come to visit....if it looks nasty and unkempt, they will be turned off.
When you visit a car lot, are the cars dirty and smelly? No! Who would want to buy them if they were?
When you go furniture shopping, are there stains and pet hair on the sofas? I'd hope not! The store would be out of business fast!
When you go to Home Depot to look at bathroom vanities, are there hairs in the sinks? I'd bet someone would get fired if there were....
So, get the Pinesol out and SCRUB that house! Make it look like it was cleaned with a Q-tip! Show buyers a product you are proud to display and they are pleased to view.
Tina in Virginia
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Tina Merritt and her Associates. can be reached at email: tina@nestrealtygroup.com or 757-287-6338.
Our Network consists of both buyer and listing specialists helping buyers and sellers in Southeast Virginia, Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Isle of Wight County, Hampton, Newport News and Poquoson, Virginia. In Southwest Virginia, the New River Valley, Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford, Pulaski, Dublin, Floyd, Narrows, Pembroke, Pearisburg, Glen Lyn, Rich Creek, Check, Hiwassee, Indian Valley, Parrott, Newport, Shawsville, Pilot, McCoy, Long Shop, Fairlawn, Wythe, Draper, Willis, Sowers, Elliston, Eggleston, Ironto, Riner, Auburn, Rogers, Giles County, Montgomery County, Floyd County, Pulaski County.
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I'm tired too...I get embarassed for the sellers and the buyers and I have a hard time talking about the advantages of the home when it's just a mess. I realize that many of these are short sales, but take some pride in your life too.....yuck.
gross...yea..I would say it goes with certain price ranges, but all across the board sometimes!
After having just bought a home here, I concur!!! Cleanliness isnt hard.
Oh my goodness, in some of the homes we've toured, I haven't even wanted to touch the doorknobs. A fellow realtor went through a property that had "pathways" to each room, marked by piles of clothes, magazines & junk. Shudder!
an unclean house usually goes hand-in-hand with a lack of maintenance as well.....
I agree when selling a house it should be clean. That is just the first step to making it presentable. I worry if we ever have to sell a house we live in....I keep it clean. ( things like the floor in the whole house is swept daily, dishes are done several times a day, laundry is running almost the whole time we are home, counters and table are washed more than once a day) However keeping it neat is harder with 4 kids and a husband in the house. We do our best while living here, but if we were selling I think I would also have to have more help, even though several hours a day between the whole family go into cleaning.
Tina, I can hear your angst about this. It's very difficult to market a home where the seller seems to be fighting against you every step of the way. I think if I had a client that refused to cooperate in keeping their home in order, I would have to either list their home for a very short period and let the listing expire, not take the listing to begin with, or give them hard reality feedback and let them know the ramifications of their inaction when it comes to preparing their home. Professionally, I would not want my name associated with a home that is in such a poor state of cleanliness. My mom always told me, you can grow up with dirt floors, but you can at least sweep the floor to keep it neat.
Sellers who don't understand this will never sell at the highest price possible for the market! Presentation is key!
Tina...This picture looks like the Washing machine exploded...or if I were to guess there are Teenagers that live here.
Tina,
When the market got slow here a few years ago I went and worked for a cleaning company part time. Even thou the market is picking up I decided to start my own company because it is really good money and I can offer this service to my clients while their home is on the market. I have people I work with and they do an excellent job. Sellers love that they have my help because they know that I know what buyers want. Your right it's not that hard to clean it just isn't fun.
My parents grew up really, really poor too and they always say "soap and water" are some of the cheapest things in the world. It really doesn't anything to be clean.
Some people just don't get it messy house = fewer showings = longer time on the market = less money in their pocket .....
I showed several foreclosures yesterday and was very embarrassed to subject my client to the filth we found in most of them. I just don't understand how these listers can allow homes to be shown, looking and smelling like garbage dumps.
Tina, the sad thing is that you can talk till you're blue in the face and it just doesn't sink in with some clients because that is all they know, that is their world.
When I take over an owner-occupied property for rental management, I often have to have it CLEANED to bring it UP TO MY STANDARDS for renting.....I offer to have it cleaned when the owners leave and it is a business expense for them and one less item on their TO DO list!!
I showed a house recently that didn't have anything but a PATH through the clutter. The master bed was piled with clothes higher than the four poster canopy. I agree - poor is poor, not dirty. The last short sale I closed was a rental and the clients left it in okay condition. However, a quick hire of rug cleaners and a pail of soap and water took care of first impressions - if it means it makes my listing the most presentable in the neighborhood, I consider it part of the process in selling distressed properties.