- 1 - Know what buyers in the area expect
- 2 - Pick the biggest deal-breakers that can be fixed
- 3 - Make sure the house is comparable to others
- 4 - Fix the big things (but the small things matter too!)
When selling a home, it’s important for sellers to realize there are potential deal-breakers that some home buyers may have.
In some cases, these may be unique things or items that are beyond a seller’s control. In other cases though, these may be common issues that the majority of home buyers wouldn’t be willing to overlook.
It’s these common deal-breakers that a seller will want to avoid and adjust for, so they can sell their home the best and fastest way possible.
Here’s how to avoid a lot of the more common home buyer deal-breakers:
1 – Know what buyers in the area expect
Buyers within the area may expect quite different things from buyers in other areas.
If that’s the case, any seller will want to work with a good real estate agent and be up-to-date on everything a buyer in the local area expects. That can help that seller determine what they need to change, and what they can leave for a new buyer to change after they move in.
If a home doesn’t meet buyer expectations, it may not sell as quickly as anticipated, which is why these home buyer deal-breakers are so important to focus on, before the seller puts their house up for sale!
2 – Pick the biggest deal-breakers that can be fixed
There are big and small deal-breakers for buyers, and they can both be important.
But the biggest things include the property location, which the seller can’t change, along with the cleanliness of the house and how well it appears to have been taken care of.
Additionally, buyers look for impressive curb appeal and a nice yard or outdoor space, fresh paint, nice floors, and up-to-date systems such as wiring, plumbing, etc.
3 – Make sure the house is comparable to others
Another potential deal-breaker for a house is when it doesn’t compare to what else is in the area in the same price range.
Striking the right balance on a home’s price as it relates to what the market can bear is very important:
- Priced too high compared to comparable properties, and the home may not attract buyers.
- Priced too low, and it may cause buyers to hesitate out of concern of deeper issues with the house.
- Staying comparable and compatible matters a great deal in the real estate market, and a seller can avoid a lot of common deal-breakers by making sure their house falls in line with other houses in both quality and price.
There may be some things that just can’t be changed, but other than those, there are several ways to make a house more appealing to buyers.
4 – Fix the big things (but the small things matter too!)
While updating a house and fixing the big things are great ways to get the attention of a buyer, sellers should consider that there are small things that can cause buyers to shy away, too.
That’s why issues like curb appeal are so important because they help a buyer see that the seller has taken good care of the house, overall. Peeling paint on the front door, overgrown weeds in the yard, and other small issues may end up being home buyer deal-breakers.
This is possibly not because of what they actually are, but because of what they represent to any buyer!
In several cases, the less work leftover for a prospective buyer, the less likely that surprise deal-breaker may pop up when selling a home.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2018 and has been revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
