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

[NewsOtter]

Hi all,
My wife and I are staging our home right now in preparation for putting
it on the market. We're conscientious folk who are going to leave the
house in better shape than when we bought it with a number of
improvements and repairs we've made. We've been watching the usual
shows on HGTV/TLC etc that show people preparing their homes for sale
and we *think* we've got everything covered, but you can't be too safe.
Here's my question for those of you who have gone to an open house
with the intention of buying a home: What did you check for in terms of
cleanliness ? What did you check for in terms of features ? We're
going to hire in a lady we know to dust the tops of picture frames,
clean window sills, etc... but it's sort of like packing for vacation...
you don't want to remember that you forgot your swimsuit when you're
halfway across the ocean. So folks, what did you check for and what
impressed you ?

Thanks

Otter

[Vox Humana]

"NewsOtter" <newsotter@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:uh2Td.6503$OU1.3104@newssvr21.news.prodigy.co m...
> Hi all,
> My wife and I are staging our home right now in preparation for putting
> it on the market. We're conscientious folk who are going to leave the
> house in better shape than when we bought it with a number of
> improvements and repairs we've made. We've been watching the usual
> shows on HGTV/TLC etc that show people preparing their homes for sale
> and we *think* we've got everything covered, but you can't be too safe.
> Here's my question for those of you who have gone to an open house
> with the intention of buying a home: What did you check for in terms of
> cleanliness ? What did you check for in terms of features ? We're
> going to hire in a lady we know to dust the tops of picture frames,
> clean window sills, etc... but it's sort of like packing for vacation...
> you don't want to remember that you forgot your swimsuit when you're
> halfway across the ocean. So folks, what did you check for and what
> impressed you ?

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.

[Nan]

On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 17:03:50 GMT, "Vox Humana" <vhumana@hotmail.com>
scribbled:

>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.

I disagree on getting rid of photos hung on a wall. I think it gives
it a 'homey' feeling when some personal things are displayed.

There's nothing worse than walking through a house that looks too
sterile and museum-like.

Nan

[Vox Humana]

"Nan" <nobodys@home.com> wrote in message
news:d2ip11djll96rvkhc7ad0s8n0j7ei5i1gn@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 17:03:50 GMT, "Vox Humana" <vhumana@hotmail.com>
> scribbled:
>
> >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.
>
> I disagree on getting rid of photos hung on a wall. I think it gives
> it a 'homey' feeling when some personal things are displayed.
>
> There's nothing worse than walking through a house that looks too
> sterile and museum-like.

Well, my advice was general. Some people love clutter. If you want to
appeal to THAT target market, then leave the clutter. Obviously you can't
please everyone. I think that you will simultaneously appeal to a wider
market while avoiding offending people or triggering prejudices, by cleaning
and editing. I doubt that you will hear many buyers say "Gee Virginia, the
house was OK, but it sure needed a lot more pictures, throw rugs, and
Precious Moments figurines. Lets look for something more cluttered. I want
a house that I know has been inhabited by several dogs and a half dozen
small children. I know they beat the hell out of things, but I like that."

One reason for depersonalizing your home is to minimize things people will
find distracting or that will trigger prejudices. You might think the
family reunion picture looks precious, while home buyers may think that your
family looks like a Jerry Springer cast party. You never know. You don't
want the buyer to concentrate on what your daughter wore to the prom. You
want them to concentrate on the home. Home sellers are staging the house
for a wide range of potential buyers. They aren't trying to sell their own
lifestyle, but rather they are trying to clear the decks so people can
imagine themselves living in the house. I can think of houses that I looked
at that would have been far more appealing had they been completely empty
rather then decorated with a giant stained pine, crushed velvet covered
furniture and pictures of exotic animals painted on velvet.

We have a couple of real-estate shows on TV that give "tours" of available
houses. As much as I resist, when I see houses all clutter up with
brick-a-brack and god awful, dated, or pimpy furnishings, I tend to be
turned-off. I find myself looking at the freaky interiors and thinking
about the homeowner rather than looking at the house. I just can't think
about myself living in the room.

[The Ranger]

Vox Humana <vhumana@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:K86Td.6389$Sa6.2435@fe2.columbus.rr.com...
[snip]
> "Gee Virginia, the house was OK, but it sure needed a
> lot more pictures, throw rugs, and Precious Moments
> figurines. Lets look for something more cluttered. I
> want a house that I know has been inhabited by several
> dogs and a half dozen small children. I know they beat
> the hell out of things, but I like that."
[snip]

Some of the most fanatical collectors of Kitsch I know are DINKS (Double
Incomes No Kids). They were also the most eclectic with what caught
their wallets.

The Ranger

[Diane]

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.
>
>
>
>
>

[Vox Humana]

"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.
>

The carpet issue is a dilemma. I would also rather have the allowance, but
you might not get a decent offer with the old carpet. I think the only way
to know about the smell is to get someone who doesn't live in the house to
take a sniff. Carpet can hold an incredible amount of filth and odor. I
would look at similar houses in your market and see what the flooring looks
like. If your carpet isn't at least average, I would get some new,
inexpensive carpet installed. It would most likely solve both issues at
once. Painting is cheap and can cover odors. Washing window treatments
will also help. Spraying your upholstered furniture daily with Fabreez will
help. You can invest in some air fresheners. You might spray a new furnace
filter with some inexpensive imitation vanilla extract and turn the blower
on when the house is gong to be viewed. People know that they can change
the wall color or even the carpeting, but they may be nervous that they will
buy a house and never be able to get rid of odors.

If you are up to it, you may find that removing the carpet and replacing it
with laminate flooring is less expensive than getting new carpet. If you
have a Lumber Liquidator near you, you will find laminate flooring for less
than $1/square foot including the padding. You would be pressed to find
carpet for that amount. The down side is that you would have to do the work
yourself to save money. The laminate flooring would most likely add a lot
of value to the house - even more than new carpeting. We removed all the
carpet on our main floor two years ago and replaced it with laminate. We
also have dogs and I know the house smells lots better now and is easier to
clean with the laminate.

Door hardware. I had to remove the existing hardware and put paint stripper
on it to remove the lacquer. Then I used brass polish on it and cleaned it
with some alcohol and put on a new coat or clear lacquer.

Clutter. You don't have to completely strip you house. It's OK to leave
some stuff out.

I think the storage unit is a great idea. You have to pack things anyway so
why not get a head start and put the stuff you won't need in storage.

[Nan]

On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 20:59:22 GMT, "Vox Humana" <vhumana@hotmail.com>
scribbled:

>
>"Nan" <nobodys@home.com> wrote in message
>news:d2ip11djll96rvkhc7ad0s8n0j7ei5i1gn@4ax.com...
>> On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 17:03:50 GMT, "Vox Humana" <vhumana@hotmail.com>
>> scribbled:
>>
>> >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.
>>
>> I disagree on getting rid of photos hung on a wall. I think it gives
>> it a 'homey' feeling when some personal things are displayed.
>>
>> There's nothing worse than walking through a house that looks too
>> sterile and museum-like.
>
>Well, my advice was general. Some people love clutter. If you want to
>appeal to THAT target market, then leave the clutter. Obviously you can't
>please everyone. I think that you will simultaneously appeal to a wider
>market while avoiding offending people or triggering prejudices, by cleaning
>and editing. I doubt that you will hear many buyers say "Gee Virginia, the
>house was OK, but it sure needed a lot more pictures, throw rugs, and
>Precious Moments figurines. Lets look for something more cluttered. I want
>a house that I know has been inhabited by several dogs and a half dozen
>small children. I know they beat the hell out of things, but I like that."

Wow. Stretch a bit??

>One reason for depersonalizing your home is to minimize things people will
>find distracting or that will trigger prejudices. You might think the
>family reunion picture looks precious, while home buyers may think that your
>family looks like a Jerry Springer cast party. You never know. You don't
>want the buyer to concentrate on what your daughter wore to the prom. You
>want them to concentrate on the home. Home sellers are staging the house
>for a wide range of potential buyers. They aren't trying to sell their own
>lifestyle, but rather they are trying to clear the decks so people can
>imagine themselves living in the house. I can think of houses that I looked
>at that would have been far more appealing had they been completely empty
>rather then decorated with a giant stained pine, crushed velvet covered
>furniture and pictures of exotic animals painted on velvet.
>
>We have a couple of real-estate shows on TV that give "tours" of available
>houses. As much as I resist, when I see houses all clutter up with
>brick-a-brack and god awful, dated, or pimpy furnishings, I tend to be
>turned-off. I find myself looking at the freaky interiors and thinking
>about the homeowner rather than looking at the house. I just can't think
>about myself living in the room.

I think you take your attitude a bit too far, frankly.

But hey, if it works for you....

Nan