Finding the Best Deals It is easy to overlook good homes when viewing them online. A limited number of pictures, poor quality photos, cluttered or empty rooms, outdated flooring, ugly wallpaper, and poor paint colors are all common reasons people decide not to view a particular home. These issues will result in fewer showings, thus creating opportunity for buyers who know how to see past these easily curable objections. Let’s examine each of these visual objections one by one. LIMITED NUMBER OF PICTURES This is quite often a result of a messy interior. This does not always mean that there are problems with the property. It can often signify that the property is currently rented and not in showing ready condition. This often results in a sale price of 15% less than the same property that has been well prepped for showings. P O O R QUA L I T Y P H OTO S This is often the fault of a listing agent
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who does not understand the importance of high-quality real estate photography. Poor photos can easily cause the property to sell for 10% less than the same home using high-quality photos and marketing. CLUTTERED OR EMPTY ROOMS This purely is an issue of perception with no real cost associated to fix the issue. Oddly enough, a cluttered room and a vacant room can both seem small in the photos. Clutter will suck up the space and make it feel small. Empty rooms lack size perspective and often look small in photos. These two objections can easily result in a 5% reduction in sale price even if high-quality photography is used. O B J E C T I O N A B L E F LO O R I N G & PA I N T These are some of the lowest cost updates that offer some of the biggest returns. Furthermore, homes built before the 70’s are likely to have hardwood floors that are covered by that ugly carpet. Paint is just paint.
THE SMART HOME BUYER
