Sellers: Your Home Competition
It is quite often that buyers will find the right house with the wrong yard...and vice versa...the right yard, wrong house.
A real estate buyer searches for just the right fit, often starting with resale properties in established neighborhoods and ending up with new construction.
What does an established neighborhood mean to you?
To me, it's the older neighborhoods with wonderful outside elements that help to make a house have the feel of a home.
The land, the yard, the Azalea's and Rhododendrons that burst into bloom each Spring.
What does an old neighborhood mean to you?
Large lots? Grand Southern Magnolias and stately Oak trees?
When you drive up to a house like that, it feels like home...you wish that it was your home!
In the Charlotte NC real estate market, you'll quickly learn that the beauty of our older neighborhoods start at the ground level and work their way skywards.
The lots are larger, nicely set back from the street with a front porch and a front yard...large trees offering a canopy over the fenced backyard.
Natural privacy is found by ample spacing between you and your neighbors home.
These homes should sell quickly, right?
Well, not necessarily.
The homebuyers drive through the older neighborhood......."It's just GORGEOUS!" they exclaim.
Cosmetic Updates Needed
Ahh...then they make an appointment to view a few of the older homes.
The carpet is a fashionable olive green.
The Kitchen has harvest gold appliances, lots of heavy floral wallpaper in the Dining Room and Bedrooms...very clean but very dated.
The residential property disclosure sheet states that there are hardwood floors under the carpet.
Well, unfortunately, without viewing those hardwood floors, the buyers are uncomfortable in making any further inquiries.
These are homes that have fantastic potential!
Given a few basic cosmetic upgrades, these homes could move off of the market quickly.
Instead, they are gathering dust.
Get Serious Or YOUR HOME Won't Sell
If you are serious about selling, first get serious about your home's selling condition.
If you don't take this all important step of condition and staging, your home will be left to linger on the market at a cost greater than you will ever believe.
It's the almighty price reduction! This takes place when you have to lower your price every few months to see which buyer will finally rise up to greet you with an offer. Not any offer, a low ball offer. Because at this point, you have been on the market long enough to look like easy pickin's.
So, the only way to sell your home for top dollar, will be to have it in top condition. You can't do anything about its lot location, so you may end up losing a bit there if you chose poorly.
