What did you check out in someone else's house.

[Vox Humana]

"Nan" <nobodys@home.com> wrote in message
news:ro2q11t9o5631qden0jnms4olck8h8vceh@4ax.com...

> I think you take your attitude a bit too far, frankly.
>
> But hey, if it works for you....
>

You would have a point if what I suggested wasn't common knowledge. You
don't have to accept my advice, just call some real estate agents or simply
watch TV. Browse the adds. You will consistently see the word "neutral"
used as a selling point. Clutter = small and poorly maintained. Both
translate into a lower price. As I said, you aren't selling your family,
you are selling your house to people who want to picture themselves living
there. If you know better than real estate professionals, then by all means
do what works for you. Also, what one does to effectively sell their house
isn't the same as what one does while living there. My home is not neutral
or free of pictures and other accessories. However, I would be smart enough
to stage the house for maximum appeal to get the maximum price.

[Nan]

On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 23:33:01 GMT, "Vox Humana" <vhumana@hotmail.com>
scribbled:

>You would have a point if what I suggested wasn't common knowledge. You
>don't have to accept my advice, just call some real estate agents or simply
>watch TV. Browse the adds. You will consistently see the word "neutral"
>used as a selling point. Clutter = small and poorly maintained. Both
>translate into a lower price. As I said, you aren't selling your family,
>you are selling your house to people who want to picture themselves living
>there. If you know better than real estate professionals, then by all means
>do what works for you. Also, what one does to effectively sell their house
>isn't the same as what one does while living there. My home is not neutral
>or free of pictures and other accessories. However, I would be smart enough
>to stage the house for maximum appeal to get the maximum price.

My mother was a realtor for 25 years. She always advised her clients
to make their home look neat, tidy and "homey". Funny, her clients
never had trouble netting good prices for their homes.
You seem to mistake "homey" for mass amounts of junk littering every
available surface.

I'm not entirely sure why you feel compelled to debate this, but
whatever.

Nan

[Vox Humana]

"Nan" <nobodys@home.com> wrote in message
news:858q111pbm6odkkmm3tap2157t4fr8sv18@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 23:33:01 GMT, "Vox Humana" <vhumana@hotmail.com>
> scribbled:

>
> I'm not entirely sure why you feel compelled to debate this, but
> whatever.

Probably the same thing motivating you.

[peggo]

"Diane" <nospam@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:bi7Td.8743$Pz7.1566@newssvr13.news.prodigy.co m...
>
> I'm more than a bit worried about the smell issue. We have 4 dogs and a
> cat,
> and I'm pretty sure that the house doesn't smell terrific. We are giving
> potential buyers a "carpet allowance" with the assumption that the 10+
> year
> old carpets need to be replaced, but I've been thinking of simply having
> them replaced. The problem is that if I were buying, I'd rather get my
> own
> carpets installed than be stuck with somebody else's choice.
>
> Diane

I have four dogs and a cat too!
I use incense. Before we have company, I clean first and then light a bunch
of GOOD incense about an hour before they arrive. Something clean smelling
like lavender. Everyone says that my house smells sooooo good.
What's under that old carpet? I found hardwood floors under my stinky
bedroom carpet. I just had to give it a good cleaning and it looks great.

peggo

[newsgroup]

Don't forget to freshen up the landscape, too. If the mulch is old, put a
thin layer of fresh on top. If the bushes need trimming and the grass needs
mowing,.. etc. You get the idea.

Yes, I know its February and most likely this isn't practical advice, but on
a warm day, it won't hurt to just clean up some of the winter blues off your
lawn.

"Diane" <nospam@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:bi7Td.8743$Pz7.1566@newssvr13.news.prodigy.co m...
> Hi. I'm NewsOtter's wife He told me he posted here. Thanks to all for
> the
> tips. I hadn't thought of polishing the door hardware, but we're spending
> a
> small fortune (well, for us anyway) to make the front look good, and it
> makes sense. Also, great tip about the night viewers. I hadn't thought
> of
> that. We also have major cobweb problems (I let daddy long legs have free
> reign in exchange for them getting rid of fly's and gnats for me - we live
> in the country, and bugs are a problem). We have totally fixed up the
> kitchen, and there is very little on the counters. I'm going to leave
> some
> things out because it's a very large kitchen, and it looks kind of sterile
> without anything on the counter. We rented a storage unit and have been
> putting everything we don't need for a few months in.
>
> I'm more than a bit worried about the smell issue. We have 4 dogs and a
> cat,
> and I'm pretty sure that the house doesn't smell terrific. We are giving
> potential buyers a "carpet allowance" with the assumption that the 10+
> year
> old carpets need to be replaced, but I've been thinking of simply having
> them replaced. The problem is that if I were buying, I'd rather get my
> own
> carpets installed than be stuck with somebody else's choice.
>
> Diane
>
> "Vox Humana" <vhumana@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:WH2Td.6054$Sa6.4184@fe2.columbus.rr.com...
>>
>> I like the shows on TV that you mentioned. I think they have a lot of
> good
>> advice. The first thing that I notice is how a place smells. Smell is
> such
>> a primitive and powerful sense. It can instantly bring up vivid memories
> an
>> evoke strong reactions. It is hard to know how your place smells because
>> you have gotten use to the smell. Maybe you should have someone you
>> trust
>> walk through the house and give their opinion.
>>
>> After smell, I think that you need to brighten the spaces by opening
> window
>> treatments. Along those lines, one of the things I notice is ceilings.
> It
>> seems that many people paint walls, but don't bother with the ceiling. I
>> would make sure the ceilings are bright white and free of cobwebs.
>>
>> I also tend to notice corners. I see cobwebs on walls and accumulations
> of
>> dirt on floors. Sometimes you need to take a small brush to corners.
> Also,
>> carpeting can get very dirty along walls. Using a stiff broom to clean
>> carpeting along baseboards can result in a big improvment.
>>
>> Clutter is a big problem that people can get so used to that they don't
>> notice it. Make sure you get rid of everything you don't need. Don't
> just
>> dust the picture, get rid of most of them, particularly family pictures
> like
>> snapshots and craft projects that the kids made at camp. Clean out the
>> closets and get rid of or pack everything you won't need. The less you
> have
>> in the closets, the bigger they will look.
>>
>> Get rid of everything on the kitchen counter and all the refrigerator
>> magnets. Again, don't just clean the clutter, pack it and remove it.
>>
>> Make sure the windows are clean. Paint the front door and polish or
> replace
>> the door hardware. Be sure that the outside light fixtures are clean and
>> have new bulbs. I would light the outside at night while the property is
> on
>> the market. People often drive by in the evening to see if it is worth
>> looking at the inside. When people come for a showing or an open house,
> it
>> might not be the first time they see the outside.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>

[Diane]

I think it depends what kind of market you live in. We live near
Sacramento, California, but in a rural small town. In Sacramento, houses
routinely sell immediately at above the asking price. People who have been
trying to buy a home for months and being outbid aren't too picky about
details like pictures and clutter. They just want to get in before someone
else makes an offer. In most areas, though, a little psychology goes a long
way. I've been reading books on preparing homes for sale, and they all agree
that the homes should be clean, well-maintained, and free of clutter and
personal items. The buyer should be able to look at the house and move
their posessions into it in their minds. Having too many items present, or
even having the owner present when buying, makes that difficult. Buyers see
too many little fixes and they presume that the house is in bad shape,
whether it is or not. It's natural to assume that you aren't seeing all of
the problems.

I had an experience when home shopping that proves the point. We looked at
a house that was clean and well-maintained, and had a really nice back yard.
My husband loved it. But the man who owned it was there A very old man who
was, I believe, selling because he was widowed and moving into a smaller
place. At least that is the story I wrote in my mind. He was disabled, and
there were very old, beautiful pictures, of a woman whom I presume was his
wife. There were needlwork samplers on the walls. All I could think of was
how sad it was that she was gone and he was alone, and how someday my
husband might be selling this house after I died. There is no way I could
move into that house. It has too many ghosts.

Diane

"Vox Humana" <vhumana@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:No8Td.6934$Sa6.3275@fe2.columbus.rr.com...
>

> You would have a point if what I suggested wasn't common knowledge. You
> don't have to accept my advice, just call some real estate agents or
simply
> watch TV. Browse the adds. You will consistently see the word "neutral"
> used as a selling point. Clutter = small and poorly maintained. Both
> translate into a lower price. As I said, you aren't selling your family,
> you are selling your house to people who want to picture themselves living
> there. If you know better than real estate professionals, then by all
means
> do what works for you. Also, what one does to effectively sell their
house
> isn't the same as what one does while living there. My home is not
neutral
> or free of pictures and other accessories. However, I would be smart
enough
> to stage the house for maximum appeal to get the maximum price.
>
>

[Diane]

We have hardwood floors, but they are badly damaged. At least the ones in
the living room are. I'm not sure about the bedrooms. I'm half tempted to
take up the carpet and see, but then we are committed to either replacing
the carpet or putting in new floors, and we've spent about 4 months on this
already. I'm so sick of fixing/cleaning/decorating/painting.

Diane

"peggo" <peggo666@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:421ddc77$1_2@newspeer2.tds.net...
>
> I have four dogs and a cat too!
> I use incense. Before we have company, I clean first and then light a
bunch
> of GOOD incense about an hour before they arrive. Something clean
smelling
> like lavender. Everyone says that my house smells sooooo good.
> What's under that old carpet? I found hardwood floors under my stinky
> bedroom carpet. I just had to give it a good cleaning and it looks great.
>
> peggo
>
>

[Diane]

We're in California. I've already planted roses (got them in just in time -
if I'd waited it would have been too late for bare roots) and done light
gardening. We're planning on having a landscaping company work on the
front, but everybody so far is busy, so we may end up doing it ourselves. I
did buy a pair of urns and some topiary junipers for the front that I think
will compliment the columns on the porch nicely. :-)

Diane

"newsgroup" <janedoe@icubed.com> wrote in message
news:cvl1l2$4a4@news.icubed.com...
> Don't forget to freshen up the landscape, too. If the mulch is old, put a
> thin layer of fresh on top. If the bushes need trimming and the grass
needs
> mowing,.. etc. You get the idea.
>
> Yes, I know its February and most likely this isn't practical advice, but
on
> a warm day, it won't hurt to just clean up some of the winter blues off
your
> lawn.
>