Five Issues Guaranteed to Alienate Buyers

By Carl Medford, CRS Special to the Forum

After the long winter freeze, the real estate market has thawed and is once again red hot due to an extreme lack of homes for sale. Sellers, given the current conditions, might be lulled into thinking that if they simply throw their home on the market, it will sell over a weekend. Yes, it might sell quickly. Will it get top dollar? That is the critical question.

In reality, only the best prepared homes get the highest prices. While just about any property can get multiple offers if priced correctly, the numbers will not be at the same level as homes that rock. Want to maximize your property’s potential?

Here are five buyer turnoffs to avoid:

Dirty and Messy

No one likes to visit a dirty home. Counter tops cluttered

Recent Home Sales

with dirty dishes, dirty clothes strewn about, unwashed floors, stained walls, filthy bathrooms … all are a major turnoff.

Smelly

Cigarettes, fried fish, curry, dirty diapers, rancid trash, mildew and pets are the top smells to avoid. They permeate soft surfaces and are almost impossible to remove. They not only alienate nostrils at the front door, buyers automatically start calculating costs to replace carpets, curtains and so on.

Dogs

Not only are dog odors offensive, buyers HATE being greeted by barking, crotch-sniffing, hand licking canines. While many dog owners believe everyone loves their mutt, truth is many buyers absolutely hate being greeted by a dog. Even a small barking pooch is enough to keep many buyers in their cars.

Popcorn Ceilings

Although acoustic finishes on ceilings stopped containing asbestos after 1978, many buyers still believe every popcorn ceiling has asbestos and that they may die by living there.

Bay Area Buyers

SUMMARY OF ORDINANCE NO. 197

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CASTRO VALLEY SANITARY DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO INCREASE RATES CHARGED FOR SOLID WASTE COLLECTION.

Ordinance No. 197 Amending Article V, Regulation of Solid Waste Disposal, Refuse, and Recycling, Sections 5302, 5303, 5306, and 5307 of the Castro Valley Sanitary District Code, was duly and regularly adopted by the Sanitary Board at a regular meeting of said Board held on the 2nd day of May 2023

The Castro Valley Sanitary District Board of Directors voted on May 2, 2023, at the Castro Valley Sanitary District Regular Board meeting to adopt the Ordinance as follows: Akagi – Yes; (Dooman) Woerz – Absent; Johnson – Yes; McGowan – Yes; Sadoff – Yes.

The above summary constitutes the major highlights of Ordinance No. 197. A reading of the entire Ordinance may be necessary to obtain a full understanding of the Ordinance and the full text of the Ordinance is available upon request via email at contact@cvsan.org or by calling 510-537-0757.

Castro Valley Unified School District Public Hearing

As part of the transition to a by-trustee area election system by the Castro Valley Unified School District, the District’s Governing Board will hold a public hearing to receive community comments and public testimony concerning the composition of potential trustee voting areas associated with the District’s tra nsition to a by-trustee area election system in advance of the preparation of draft trustee voting area plans by the District’s demographer. The public hearing will be held during a Governing Board meeting on May 22, 2023 at 6:00 p.m., located at the District Office Boardroom, 4400 Alma Avenue, Castro Valley, CA 94546 or via Zoom at https://cv-k12-ca-us.zoom.us/j/84124649608.

If you are participating via Zoom and would like to address the Board, please complete a “Request to Speak” form via the Google form www. cv.k12.ca.us/publiccomment/ and submit it prior to the start of this agenda item.

Couple that with the fact that they simply look dated, and you will find they are a major turnoff for many buyers.

Wallpaper

While you may love your wallpaper, most buyers want it gone and if you leave it up, they will subtract the cost of removal from the price. If it covers every wall in the house, they may even assume the costs of elimination will be too high … and move on. DO NOT paint over it – if done incorrectly, you will see the wallpaper lines and it can even bubble up and look horrific.

Want the highest price possible? Avoid these common issues and your chances of a top-dollar offer will be … higher

Carl Medford is a licensed Realtor with Keller Williams Realty and a licensed general contractor. This article is sponsored by the Central County Marketing Association.