Why Details are Important
Businesses get in trouble when they ignore small problems, according to author Michael Levine in his book, "Broken Windows, Broken Business: How the Smallest Remedies Reap the Biggest Rewards." Levine asserts that if a business is to succeed it has to pay attention to the smallest details or risk failure.
Home sellers also have to pay attention to the smallest details or risk failure. EnergizedSeller.com recently visited some sellers who were frustrated because their home hadn't sold. They'd invested several thousand dollars in improvements, including a remodeled bathroom, rented a POD to store extra furniture, staged their home, improved their home's curb appeal and more. They appeared to have done everything right, but it became clear that although they'd done 90 percent of what was needed, the other 10 percent included some important details that hurt the chances of their home being sold.
When you sell your home, focus on every little detail because, as Levine points out, ignored details have a negative impact on people's emotions. When people weigh their feelings against logic, feelings win more than 80 percent of the time. If a home buyer's emotions are negatively affected, he or she won't want to buy your home-or at least not at your desired price.
Here are some examples of often-ignored details. Have some other examples you can share? Post them below.
Baseboard Problems:
Missing Hardware:
Wall Marks:
Dirty Walls or Doors:
Bad Paint Jobs:
Disorganized Closets:
Worn Hardware and Doors:
Ignored Patch Work:
Un-staged Bathrooms:
Sloppy Paint Jobs:
I totally agree. Excellent examples of things I see all the time.
Sellers think those little things are inconsequential but it sends a message to buyers that there could be other MUCH LARGER issues with the property...
These ignored "little things" also send a message to buyers that the home may not be well cared for. Little things lead to big things, and why make a buyer guess if there are bigger things that have been neglected?
It is human nature to not "see" what we are around all the time. What I stress to my sellers is "buyer's buy life style. The buy the way they WANT to life.They may not live that way themselves, but they imagine how it would be by seeing a properly organized and staged prettily home".
Ditto what Lane Mabry said.
Home owners just cannot see their home through the eyes of a buyer. It's impossible, because we don't see what we have been dismissing for so long. I know that if MY home was going on the market, I would absolutely hire a local real estate stager, AND I AM ONE! But I would hire someone to come and help me with their fresh, trained eyes and help me to know what messages my home has been sending that I have been ignoring.
It's human nature to forgive or purposefully overlook the small details in lieu of the big picture when you live somewhere already. But buyers are looking for reasons to say "Let's Keep Looking" becasue they want the BEST home for their hard-earned money, not the "OK" home.
I recently just staged a home, where the seller agreed to paint the interior walls, make some small, but necessary repairs, and clean the house professionally. However, he would NOT agree to have the windows cleaned. This home had beautiful big windows with pretty views. However, the dirty windows turned this asset to an eye sore.
This was a $350 detail, that should not have been ignored. We home stagers, have lots of educating to do yet, though we have made major head ways.
When you are passionate about wanting home sellers to reach their full potential, it is frustrating to see them do less than 100%. Sometimes they still luck out and sometimes they take a large price reduction or leave their home on the market too long.
Other ignored things I see all the time are flower beds with weeds, windows that aren't clean, odors that aren't addressed, bathrooms with personal things out in plain sight, dogs in the backyard gaurding their territory, thirsty plants, garages that look like storage units...
The details are so important and they quickly add up to a delayed sale and money lost.
Now don't get us wrong, we like Elvis as much as the next person. But when selling your home, make
Now don't get us wrong, we like Elvis as much as the next person does. But when you're selling