Top 10 Ways To Make Home Buyers HATE Your House – An article published in 2012, listed ODOR as the #2 reason THAT HOME BUYERS HATE YOUR HOUSE……As homeowners, we are often immune to our homes particular smell… Maybe it smells doggy, maybe the cat litter box is a little stinky, possibly a pungent cooking smell has invaded your kitchen. Whatever it is, your potential buyer does not want to be distracted with a bad smell.
While I am helping to get a home ready for listing, I always try and view it as if I was a potential buyer. I am paying attention to the, seemingly, small details:- Is there a screw missing in a faceplate? Does the faucet drip in the guest bathroom? Is there a missing or broken drawer pull in the office? Is there a rust stain under the sink in the kitchen?While all these items are insignificant to many people, they are also easily and relatively inexpensive to fix or repair.
Today I had the pleasure and privilege of working with two young children (10 and 8 years old). Their Mom, a long standing client of mine, wanted to make the most of an opportunity that many people overlook. While it is wonderful to work with my clients, one of my many reminders is that in order to keep up a system, it involves every member of the family (not just Mom!). I can spend hours with Mom (or Dad) and they individually understand the reasoning and logic, however, if the whole family is not on board the result is often that Mom/Dad are able to keep up their end, but the kids often times, are unable to understand their much needed contribution and effort.
My kids asked me a couple of weeks ago what I wanted for Mother's Day this year.... It only took me a couple of seconds to tell them that I wanted their time. No flowers, jewelry, brunch or anything but just a day doing what ever I chose. I have been looking to find an activity for us to try and give back - something that we would all enjoy doing to benefit other people.....I got in touch with Operation Help A Hero and today we are heading down to Camp Pendleton, armed with a cleaning kit and much needed donations, to clean barracks for our wonderful returning heroes. With a busy family schedule we don't often have time to just spend the day together and I can't think of a better way than to be working with my children and at the same time helping give back to our brave and selfless military personnel.
One of my favorite ways to spend a day is in a closet! I love the feeling of standing back after I have finished and seeing all the colors flowing, the clothes grouped by style or season (which ever my client prefers) and the overall sense of order that has been created. One of my pet peeves is mis-matched hangers.... You don't have to break the bank to have matching hangers. Costco are offering 35 black suede style hangers on sale for $7.99 (Normally $9.99). You can also pick up the white plastic hangers from Target or Walmart for around $1 for 10.I would love to hear from you if you need some help evaluating your closet and it's needs!
