Rosey Colored Glasses

Every baby is cute. To the new mom, their baby is especially cute. Even when the baby isn’t really that cute(sorry to be honest, but some babies aren’t that cute right after their born).
To every home owner, their home is better, and worth more than the one identical to it down the street. I call this ‘Rosey Colored Glasses’. When you’ve put your sweat and hard earned dollars into your home, it is hard to imagine someone else not seeing the value as you see it.

A pool for example. You spent $20,000 to put in a top of the line in ground pool. When you sell your home, some buyers may see little to no value in the pool. In fact, some buyers I’ve worked with specifically don’t look at houses if they HAVE a pool!

Paint colors. You spent hours sanding and spackling and repainting all the rooms in the house. Prospective buyers come in and don’t like the colors!

Landscaping is a big one. You’ve spent every evening all spring planting, weeding, trimming, edging, and cultivating the perfect lawn and landscaping. Potential buyers may come in and say ‘it requires too much maintenance’

When you are considering selling your home, get a professionals advise on value. Your $20,000 pool doesn’t add $20,000 worth of value. Your $5,000 worth of landscaping doesn’t add $5,000 worth of value.
Ask a real estate agent what buyers are looking for in your neighborhood. What features would help sell the house? It is often ‘tough love’, and it requires an honest agent. An agent who is willing to tell you what you need to hear, not necessarily what you want to hear. It is tough to treat our home as a commodity, but that is how buyers will likely see it.

So…..
Be realistic on price
Don’t expect buyers to love the home as you’ve grown to love it
What you love about the home, someone else may loathe