Selling Your Home - Why Should Buyers Choose Yours?

November 20, 2008

Assuming certain factors are the same - such as location, amenities, approximate price range, features - what would entice a buyer to put an offer on your house instead of another in your subdivision?

It’s been my experience that most buyers lack imagination when it comes to looking at properties. They are effected by your decorating, your taste and how your home makes them feel. Only about 20% can detach themselves from your decorations and imagine their home in its place.

So how do you appeal to the 80% of buyers who want to walk into your house and feel at home?

The first step is to de-clutter your home. Any clutter translates into a read-between-the-lines detractor of “not enough storage space”. If you truly don’t have enough storage space for all of your possessions, treasured though they may be, then rent a small storage space. Go through your home and remove everything except the most flattering and visually appealing items. Your home does not want to look bare, but it needs to give the impressions of elegance and space.

The next step is to take care of any maintenance issues before you put the home on the market. You may be temped to say, “I’ll fix anything their home inspector finds”, but in my experience, your initial offer will be lower (or even non-existent) if the impression the buyers get is that you have not taken care of the home. So replace rotten wood, fix and paint damaged or grubby walls, replace torn or damaged flooring, service HVAC units before you call your real estate agent.

The final step is to thoroughly clean the home. Hire someone to help you do a deep spring cleaning - clean baseboards, polish mirrors, shampoo carpets. Make your home sparkle. Buyers will notice on a subconscious level that the home is clean. Why do you think new homes are so attractive to buyers? It’s because no-one’s dirt is there - it’s virgin and pristine.

Once you have listed the home, keep it clean and tidy. Make beds and put away dishes before you leave in the morning. So often I’ve tried to make appointments to show a home, and the seller has said that we’ll have to come back another day because they left the home in a mess that day. Normally there is no “another day”. So if there is a day you’ve had to run out in a hurry, take a deep breath and let it be shown anyway and hope that the buyers are the 20% that can imagine the dishes in their right place!

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Local Information for Escondido, CA

Latitude: 33.124794 -- Longitude: -117.08085

Other Area Cities: Escondido Rancho Santa Fe Vista San Marcos

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Escondido is a city located in northern San Diego County, California just north of San Diego, California, USA. The name means "hidden" in Spanish-- it occupies a shallow valley ringed by rocky hills. Founded in 1888, it is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. The city has a mild climate, a diverse economy and a growing population of 140,766, making it the fourth largest city in San Diego County in terms of population. Downtown Escondido (centered on Grand Avenue) has experienced a renaissance. Numerous fine restaurants, cafes, and galleries have opened over the past few years. Every Friday night from April through September, the Downtown Business Association hosts the popular "Cruisin' Grand," where the public can show and view hot rods and historic cars. A different car club and/or featured attraction (i.e. antique fire trucks, nitro night, midget and sprint cars) is highlighted each week. Cruisin' Grand also features a DJ, hula hoop contests for the kids, and 7 trophies. -- Source: Wikipedia.com

California 2000 Census Population Profile Map

	Escondido	California	United States
Population	133,559	33,871,648	281,421,906
Median age	31.2	33.3	35.3
Median age for Male	30.2	32.2	34
Median age for Female	32.4	34.4	36.5
Households	43,817	11,502,870	105,480,101
Household population	131,794	33,051,894	273,643,273
Average household size	3.01	2.87	2.59
Families	31,162	7,920,049	71,787,347
Average family size	3.5	3.43	3.14
Housing units	45,050	12,214,549	115,904,641
Occupied units	43,817	11,502,870	105,480,101
Vacant units	1,233	711,679	10,424,540

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