<p>fireanddrain, we must be atypical buyers too. I would buy a house that shows a toaster and coffeemaker on the counter. What would turn me off is a home that is over priced and/or needs a lot (new roof, need to paint all rooms, new shingles, new sidewalks, no shrubs at all, new driveway, new windows, water in the basement, new electric work, new furnace, 40 year old kitchen and baths). If it needed some things on that list but was priced right, I would be fine that too.</p>
<p>I like seeing a house that is completely empty. Then I can see all of the flooring and walls and not have things hidden by rugs and such. I never paid any attention to the decorating and pictures but was put off by a home that was so full of stuff the floors were 80% covered with stuff. Also the shows that suggest you cannot sell a house without a new kitchen and bath are just selling kitchen and bath products. I have seen many homes sell and 95% lacked up to the minute K&B’s. They are trying to make people think they are missing our if they don’t get all the goodies.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Of course! There are also very unrealistic buyers with champagne tastes, but lower ranged budgets. It does take time for them to realize that they are not going to steal a home. They will need to pay for the “goodies” they get, but it takes time for some folks to see reality.</p>
<p>When we bought our home, it had an original kitchen that was over 30 years old. It was functional, but it was so tiny that one could not even fit a table. We made due with what we could afford. When we had the money, many years later, we rebuilt it and expanded it.</p>
<p>We had family pictures on the wall in our family room. The realtor did not want us to take them down. She wanted the house to look like real people lived in it. It was a lot of work to declutter and clean but definitely worth it.</p>
<p>We are now in the market to buy a house so we see it from the buyers’ perspective. The biggest factors of course are location, floor-plan, lot size and layout, and price. We get turned off by overly ‘staged’ houses, especially the ones that have soft music playing in the background and potpourri all over. But it is also hard to get over the negative feelings evoked by a foul-smelling, cluttered house with an unkempt yard. I think there is a happy medium.</p>
<p>Good luck to all those who are trying to sell.</p>