Why This Home Won't Sell: Real Estate Horror Story!

[@wellwoman5686]

You don’t have to cap the light fixture chandelier at the beginning, JUST remove the orange colored shades. Easy.

[@leevincent3960]

Exactly! Or replace with white, off white, or charcoal gray shades for an inexpensive improvement. Anything that reduces the attention to that fixture.

[@marciaoh7056]

Yeah, that room needs lighting. The chandelier is fine for showing. Buyers like chandeliers. Remove shades and use decorative bulbs, or replace or paint the shades. An inexpensive fix. Way cheaper than rewiring and throwing a chandelier away.

[@WyomingGuy876]

If they did a two tone tray ceiling, then they could paint the shades matte black and make it more formal

[@katarinatibai8396]

​@@leevincent3960💯💯💯 That would look nice 👍

[@JMelissaMc]

That house would have been fine for me. I plan on repainting as soon as I get a house anyway. The only problem that I saw was that the houses were too close together, there was no side yard to give me distance from all of the noise and looks of the neighbors.

[@JoXcalibur]

Me too, I love redesigning everything to mat h my own taste

[@KimSmith-b9v]

I can't stand big houses with small gardens. I prefer a little house with a big garden.

[@Izamota-q5v]

I actually like the green - I'd probably do I nice off white where the orange is. Not a big deal.

[@robertng9330]

I agree....Walls and floors (carpet) can be re painted or re-covered. It is important to look at the location, and layout of the house. At least this home has removed the Pictures and Personal Items that will "distract" potential buyers. Any "negatives" (stained Driveway) can be deducted when you place your Offer!

[@bravelittleroomba]

Same! In some of the pics I had a hard time telling if the house next to it was part of it or not. My parents got a nice house around the size of these and the houses aren't even as close as this but they're still close enough where you can just look into the next door neighbour's windows from your house.

[@wallihaley5194]

I just hate when the garage is the most prominent architectural feature of a house.

[@odysseus2656]

It is so common in many new neighborhoods. Well-to-do people used to have a circular driveway so they could pull up to the front door, but now the garage sticks right in our face and we have to walk past the garbage cans to get to the front door.

[@carolynbrubaker1619]

and somehow that garage door doesn't look right, can't quite put my finger on it but it kind of clashes

[@timward3116]

I once almost bought a new-construction single-story house where the entire living area was attached to the back of the garage. There were ZERO front windows. I liked the inside, but the outside look like a garage with an almost unnoticeable entry on the side. Fortunately, I ended up buying something with more curb appeal and a less obvious garage.

[@shelbynamels973]

It's the best, especially in northern climes. Nothing better than getting into your car sitting in the garage while it's raining or minus degrees outside and you don't have to worry about it.' Same thing when you get your groceries out of your car and straight into your kitchen or pantry. It also keeps you from the neighbors/ prying eyes if you have to stuff a body into the trunk. Not saying that you would ever need to, just that you could.

[@user-ii3vn8tn3q]

The dark wood front door...THATS a problem. The wood clashes with the rest of the woods, and the design is much more curvy than any other window. It absolutly does NOT match the house.

[@Mayflower6871]

When looking to buy a house, the layout takes precedence over cosmetic concerns like peeling paint, color or decor choices. With my own decorating vision in mind, I prioritize finding a home with a layout that suits my needs and preferences.

[@Lovesapuzzle]

I agree. Even if the house was in perfect shape, I would make changes to make it my own.

[@tonyc6166]

I 100% agree..but honestly with my home when I calculated the equity at closing and everything...we 💯 totally abandoned layout and bedroom sizes etc. Without knowing a pandemic was around the corner, I'm glad we did. The pool I loathed made those 3 years bearable. Yet...I hate the 1965 layout...but I'm content.

[@onewomanandsomesongs]

I have the traditional cherry hardwood floors. I love them, and I’m not ripping them out to put those trendy gray wood laminate floors in. That trend will pass soon.

[@maryvastardis3847]

Gray "wood" laminate floors are already on their way out.

[@jackieu8209]

I just bought a home with Brazilian Cherrywood floors. Haven't even moved in yet. But I'm so excited....REAL HARDWOOD! And because cherry doesn't seem very common, I don't think it will go "out of style" (not that I would care).

[@juliebarnett9812]

I love the floors.

[@richiejohnson]

​@@maryvastardis3847 It's everywhere, commercial And residential

[@gsa7512]

The gray jail plastic crap is tasteless and out of style. Nothing beats a natural warm wood.

[@MJ-my9sg]

I love color and had every room suited to me however when I was getting ready to sell it I hired painters to paint all walls neutral, sold immediately.

[@lsmith1695]

We have followed your advice about deep cleaning, neutral colors and staging before listing our house. We got four offers in the first week. We sold our house for above our list price. Thank you for all of your advice. It is worth the work for such a big payout! You know what you are talking about!!!

[@KatiSpaniak]

That is awesome! Congrats!!

[@dennyfie]

All I did was whited out the walls And cleaned a little. no staging,no deep cleaning no curb appeal, no up grades still sold quickly.

[@dalcox3250]

​@KatiSpaniak there is nothing wrong with this house!

[@KatiSpaniak]

@@dalcox3250then why hasn’t it sold? 😂 obviously the market has spoken

[@lindabarron2181]

Why don't they just paint the walls?

[@susieinthesouth1931]

There are some good points. The house isn't selling because the price is not correct but it also shows very outdated. The colors and tile in bathrooms look 30yrs in age. With a new build being slightly higher, people will go with the new build. As for the cluttered basement, get a storage unit and clean out that space. We did that the last time we sold.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Yep! You’re right!

[@Joce123]

Avoid the storage unit or at least get a storage unit that has a 10 foot wide door and is 5 feet deep It is much easier to work around Seriously, consider decluttering and donating...do not pay to move junk.

[@plips71755]

Well it might not be outdated for that area, different areas of the country are very different in what they prefer. What might not be our taste could be someone else’s. That tile is sold in every tile shop, Home Depot and Lowe’s in the country. The house isn’t even 30 years old much less it be outdated. Go out to California, Florida, etc and this style is seen everywhere in new homes. Look at homes in this style and price range and see what you see. I think the house has other issues that showed up when people when to look at it. Also they don’t have a shed in the yard. They need about a 14’x 16’ to handle all of it. A 10’x5’ storage unit isn’t going to handle this and storage units have gotten incredibly expensive. You can figure depending on where you live at least $100-150/month to start for a small unit. I believe the basement was recently painted and maybe most of the stuff was up on shelving units and/or more out of the way. They just didn’t get it back there. You need a lot of stuff to take care of a house and it adds up as you work on the property. If you have always lived in an apartment, you haven’t a clue what it takes when you need to do everything yourself. Maybe they bought all that from another house. Also we don’t know if maybe they have in mind moving to a bigger place and will need all of that stuff. If so, you don’t want to give it away, throw it out and then have to buy it all over again. Maybe they plan on a house with an office in it, or whatever the situation. They have some wood working, contracting type equipment, plus ladders, etc down there. And maybe some of it is stuff they plan on using in the yard to build say a fountain. See the galvanized tub. We just don’t know and to just say they need to get rid of stuff because we think it’s junk is not very nice. We all have stuff we inherit from various relatives that we just can’t bear to part with. Maybe they planned on having a shed built but due to the terrible increase to lumber over the tariffs since back in 2016 and then with Covid not to mention a lot of lumber has just burned up in the wildfires and there is all the oak wilt that has taken over a million oaks down, and the pine beetles are destroying so much of it - so the prices are higher. Maybe they just haven’t been able to do so, and it will require a custom build as there isn’t anyway to get it to the back that I can see. And using a crane over a house of that height would be super expensive. And no one has said anything about the fact that it could be an aged couple, or a death of one spouse, and maybe there just isn’t any money to do what needs to be done. At its relatively new age, probably a mortgage that must be paid off when it’s sold. If there is still a $600,000 mortgage on it and they sell it for $500,000 well they have to come up with the $100,000 to go to the bank. Don’t forget that back in 2007 people who had recently bought homes during the bubble - paid exorbitant prices because the banks back then (some) were pushing mortgages and saying people could afford those homes. That before the variable mortgages went up in a year or three they would be making more money and interest rates would drop and they would be sitting pretty. But that didn’t happen. The banks didn’t even own the mortgages by the time the bubble burst and millions and millions of people were under water. They could sell the home because they needed so much money and all of a sudden the homes weren’t being appraised at as much as they were couple years prior. I didn’t even have a new house but had watched my value go up and up but couldn’t find a house that suited me so didn’t move. And in the 2007-2010+, watched the high value my home had acquired drop back to where I was 15+ years back. It was heartbreaking but at least I didn’t have a great big new mortgage to deal with. And now it’s been 25+ years down the road and I’m still here. Have finally gotten the interest mostly paid off and are starting to pay more and more of the principal off. If you haven’t purchased a house, you pay the interest off first and then get into the principal. It’s tough but everyone does the same thing. If you are going to be in your house for a good while, it’s best, if you can afford it, to pay as much as possible on your mortgage ie at least an extra 25% over your mortgage payment and then every dime you get - pay more and break your payments into paying them every 2 weeks ie bi monthly so that extra goes to your principal. It pays off if you can do it. Get rid of the subscriptions, get rid of the cable etc and get a $20 Walmart antenna and lose the cable bills. Get a second job doing something you like and put that money to the mortgage. Same with automobiles, they are for going from A to B. Keep your cars longer and unbelievably nit every person in the house needs their own car nor a telephone, nor cable in their rooms. Slash those bills. Don’t live beyond your means. Sorry.

[@latsnojokelee6434]

Any home on the market that Long is usually because it was overpriced and they have had some lower offers and the sellers have refused them. So then eventually they start lowering the price but then at that point the realtors and buyers think there’s something wrong with the house because it’s been on the market for so long.

[@tonyc6166]

First Money offer..best offer 90% of the time with no changes or concession. That 10% in this case equals 900 days on the market

[@TheMazinoz]

Exactly. Seen well presented places but WAY overpriced not sell, then the greedy investor has to sell for less than if they put realistic price on it in the first place!

[@Starfish2145]

They should stop dicking around and either repaint it or price it at 500 K

[@carolynbrubaker1619]

or both!

[@LogicalReasoning-b8t]

Those are the best colors inside for me ! I love the soft green and then popping orange...! The beautiful hardwood pecan and walnut floors ..?ONLY thing I can't deal with is the Tight Closeness of the Neighbors Property outside, a. NO-GO for me!

[@KAT00035]

We lived in a military town in 2015. The 2008 crash didn’t happen there because of military moves. Fast forward to about 2013, and there were huge excesses of homes on the market. If I remember correctly, we had twice the number of houses in my house’s price range. There was a beautiful house on my street that had been for sale for over a year. In 2014 we put our house up for sale, and we would go weeks without a showing. Long story short, it took 15 months to sell our house (and the other house on my street was a little more pricey and was still for sale). We bought it new, and it sold for $25K less than we bought it for. That didn’t include all the money we put into landscaping, and also a $10K deck. I still have nightmares about this time. 😢

[@jackieu8209]

The same thing happened to me, but my house sold quick. I just lost a lot of money on it.

[@nogames8982]

The very first thing I noticed from the exterior of the house is that the house is about 6 feet away from the neighboring house. On both sides. That would drive me absolutely insane. I don’t think I would’ve got past the first picture. I probably would’ve moved on to look at a different house.

[@tonyc6166]

I picked my home based on the space between houses..looked at newer homes for 300 to 500k. All of them had the issue of being right next to one another. Found a bank owned property for 180k sliding down in price. It needed all cosmetic upgrades..but had almost a half acre..with 35 feet distance from adjacent homes..it dropped to 160k..I pounced in 2019 and put 40k in reno. Now worth 400k. Location, location, location, applies to more than just zip codes IMHO

[@nogames8982]

@@tonyc6166 i’ll never understand why they build houses so close together. I mean, I know they do it for money. Let’s be honest here. But they build these subdivisions with say 100 houses where if they would just build them with 75 They’d have a little bit bigger space between and it would be much nicer. But the almighty dollar is what they’re going after.

[@tonyc6166]

@nogames8982 One thing I neglected to mention was a terrific builder built brand new homes directly on either side on tiny lots lol. They are beautiful..but The neighbor kids are always running on my property..because they were built 8ft from my property line. I feel like I should charge them rent🤣🤣

[@nogames8982]

@@tonyc6166 I live in a neighborhood where the houses are over 100 years old. Mine is 124 years old. And there’s not a lot of space between the houses but the lots are very deep. So side to side there’s not a lot of room, but front to back there is a lot. That helps. I also like the fact that all the houses are different. It’s not cookie-cutter. There’s big houses, and a little ones. and they all have some character. some of these subdivisions I don’t know how the people know it’s their own house. All the houses look the same. Or there’s three models in the entire subdivision.

[@tonyc6166]

@nogames8982 Yeah my lot is average depth seems smaller with the 36x20 inground pool that was here. Mines 60 years old..neighborhood sounds similar to yours..lots of variation..even rebuilds are all different..but it seems sqft is king, homes are all built to the absolute largest lot can be zoned and tall. My neighbors have a trex deck that overlooks my pool. Feels weird, but hey I'm not shy.

[@scott5966]

I am married to someone who cannot look at a floor plan and understand how the flow of that house would work in reality, or look at a room and imagine it with a different configuration of furniture or paint. It is an odd but known difference in people's brains. Some of us can see things in 3D. I can close my eyes and imagine a room 14 x 16 with 10 foot ceilings and see the doors and windows, imagine it furnished and move the objects from place to place. I see a floor plan and can picture the built structure and identify its flaws or advantages. The problem I suppose is that you must market to everyone and thus you must make everyone able to see a space as it might exist for them, since many struggle even imagining furniture in an empty room - hence all the staging people do.

[@jmarylastone]

at about 8:57 you missed the "ripples" in the carpet - that could be an expensive fix

[@eurekahope5310]

Yes. I missed the dings in the fixture but immediately spotted the carpet wrinkles. Not only are they unsightly, but a tripping hazard.

[@steveeuphrates-river7342]

Can the carpet just be re-stretched to get those out?

[@DarkandStormyNight01]

​@@steveeuphrates-river7342 That was the first thing I saw as well. The carpet can be re-stretched and it's not that expensive (I had it done). Not doing it screams that it was over soaked trying to get stains out. Stains that may come back.

[@SomeoneBeginingWithI]

I think the pastel green walls look nice with the cherry floor. They're both warm toned and the green and red are complementary. The yellow and orange feature walls are a bit much, re-painting those to be a soft white would help a lot. I don't have a problem with the soft orange on the curtains/drapes, I think those work to make it a more cohesive colour pallet, and taking away both the curtains and the orange walls might make it look worse. The colour pallet of the house is inevitably going to be warm because of the cherry floors. Whoever buys it is going to like the cherry floors, so they're going to be a person who either likes or is okay with a warm colour pallet. The colours for the walls and furniture need to be colours that work well together and work well with the floors. If you make the other features of the house too pale and too neutral, the colours will be unbalanced and it will feel uncomfortable and wrong.

[@JoXcalibur]

A buyer would have to be the sort of person that doesn't want to put any effort in their new home. If they care so little about the home why would they care about the color?

[@cindland]

Agree with you on the paint colors matching the floors. They thought they were accenting the beautiful floors I guess. No one should have a problem with the curtains AT ALL because they’re removal replaceable and often times aren’t even left behind. They’re temporary. If anyone is silly enough to make a decision in buying a home in that range based on the curtains the owners left behind, (or an oil stain on the driveway) they deserve to pay double on the next one.

[@sherimciver]

@@cindland…I agree that those things wouldn’t make or break the purchase, but I think it’s more about the first impression and getting the buyer excited to go see it.

[@AnneSaluppo-t2p]

Yes, the colors are bold.....but my mind sighed at the relief of not seeing gray!! So sick of seeing gray home interiors. For whatever reason, people thought that gray walls, flooring, curtains and sofas were actually appealing. Gray on gray on gray 🤮 depressing and ugly.

[@juliebarnett9812]

That's because of HGTV.

[@suetucker9264]

Then add yellow!😖

[@AnneSaluppo-t2p]

@@suetucker9264 not enough yellow in the world to distract from the ugly gray 😆... yellow ain't saving it.

[@joyceschetter5871]

I was surprised to see the paint colors in this home. We purchased our home in 2015 and it had the yellow, the orange, the green all of which I repainted as soon as I possibly could. although the kitchen had been professionally remodeled, the cherry paint color on the cabinets is starting to chip. I’m just frustrated wishing they had only re-stained. The cabinets are solid wood and would be a fortune to refinish. And with a beautiful granite counters, I would never remove them. You have great information. So even though I don’t plan to sell, I’m continuing to complete the maintenance as if I was selling tomorrow.

[@KatiSpaniak]

It's great to hear that you are taking care of your home, even if you don't plan to sell anytime soon. Maintenance is key to preserving the beauty of your space!

[@WhatsEvenRealAnymore]

Completely disagree. Do not buy a counter depth fridge! I work in the appliance repair industry. Once the fridge fails you might be left with 2 options. Replace it….but the appliance industry changes and you might not find the dimensions needed to fit in the space. This forces you to fix the fridge. I have seen people have to pay $1,500 to fix an 12 year old fridge. Otherwise they have to remodel the entire kitchen. Don’t screw yourself folks.

[@neuralsodar]

We had to choose between a $5k fridge that had MANY reviews of needing service and a regular fridge when we remodeled our kitchen. I am so glad we went with the regular fridge! My brother has had to replace his very high end counter depth fridge TWICE in the last 10 years.

[@DybbukDEpstein]

this is advice for sellers to sell their home quick, not a commentary on the efficiency and reliability on appliances. The point is that a counter sunk fridge looks better to potential buyers than a protruding fridge. A seller is not "screwing themselves" by putting in an appliance that will likely get their house sold faster because the kitchen would appeal to more people. The buyers can switch out the fridge to a standard, less expensive one anytime they want.

[@WhatsEvenRealAnymore]

@@DybbukDEpsteindisagree

[@seaneendelong8065]

They are correct- but there is an obvious fix for both issues: Get deeper counter depth in the first place and add a finished endcap "wall" same as cabinet material to box in the fridge. My counters are deep, my super reliable reviews fridge is generous sized yet flush, and the upper storage cabinets above and end cap frame it in. I have a small home with an open concept K/DR/LR/ Entry, yet unless you really stop and do mental measuring you would not realize how much deeper my lower cabinets and counters are compared to build grade ones. It still feels generously sized and smooth lines in the K vs obv appliances.

[@wallihaley5194]

My counter depth GE fridge lasted 10 years with ZERO issues. I sold that house and I am guessing the fridge still works. I definitely think finding a brand known for reliability is imperative. Of course, SubZero is an excellent brand and known for its longevity; if you can afford it.

[@generessler6282]

We've only bought one house. Never sold one. (Retired career Army; always lived in provided housing.) So just saying.... It's amazing to me that paint is a factor, let alone drapery style or touch-ups or anything that doesn't require major surgery. When we were in the market, I was actually looking for homes with some minor visible wear because I figured OCD-level maintenance would drive the price up 10%, which I could easily fix for a lot less. I guess we succeeded because we low-balled the asking price by 10%, got the house summer 2020, and now it's worth 52% more according to the real estate sites. Doesn't matter as we intend to be here for life 🙂

[@alyross2850]

In this economy, I understand why people might buy the new construction over the older home at the same price. It’s too expensive to do anything major in a home. But there are a LOT of people who do not like these cheaply made mass builder homes. They would rather have an older brick home with wood and plaster. That’s me.

[@tonyc6166]

Problem with most affordable new construction is lot size. Every one I see ,unless in a premier gated community, is like McCondos. Every one is tight together..Every weekend cars lined up and down the street and it seems like you are stuffed into tiny tiny street with 15 or so 3000 sqft houses and no quiet or peace.

[@gigi9301]

@@tonyc6166 And Always an HOA with new developments.

[@tonyc6166]

@gigi9301 what alot of real estate gurus fail to tell subscribers is its the towns who force HOA's!. They won t agree on the project without them. Saves all the street repairs, maintenance etc from the towns responsibility. So that is usually the only reason for them.

[@gigi9301]

@@tonyc6166 Interesting to know! Thank you I have been taking real estate classes in order to learn these things I'm tired of signing contracts that I don't understand. One of the craziest things I learned about was dual-transaction brokers. How can one broker ethically work both sides of the deal; have the best interests of both the buyer and seller at the same time? Back to HOA's; I think I'd rather rent forever than buy a condo with all the HOA bureaucracy . I own my own home no hoa, but thinking about downsizing and don't want to be forced into agreeing to pay some unknown extra amount every month.

[@MizJilly]

I agree. OK, hold the plaster because it's a nightmare. But brick, good moldings and trim, real wood floors . . . all day long. The way i see it, you can pay now with a new build AND pay later when you have to start replacing the cheap, trendy materials - or you can pay now for a solid older home with good bones and make cosmetic, DIY improvements over time. What I find is that folks buy the new houses, they look dated in 3 years, repairs are needed in five, so they sell the house. In ten years, the homes have had 3 or 4 owners and zero maintenance.

[@WomanRoaring]

One of my friends sent me a listing for a house he liked, he was looking on his phone and I had my laptop open so I was able to see the photos larger. I pointed out the amount of mold on the walls and mirrors in the bathrooms,this wasn’t not cleaning the shower mold either, this was a moisture issue. He then zoomed in and was shocked. The house was listed over one million so we were both shocked at that. The sellers really needed a better realtor because that should have been fixed before it was photographed

[@KatiSpaniak]

For sure!! Yuck!!!

[@susanbutler3102]

Many years ago my inlaws were moving from Iowa to Florida. I suggested they remove the floor to celing wall paper mural of palm tree's near the beach. They had a huge finished basement that had dark green sheers and dark curtains over the relatively large windows, wood paneling and dark green shag wall to wall carpet. I suggested they remove the curtains, pull up the green carpet and install a light grey berber, and paint the paneling to open up the space and lighten it. In the large living room that had two sets of sliding glass doors that opened up to a deck. The sliding doors had. Sky blue sheers with a diy valance that was made from a short loop carpet with a blue/green pattern with ball fringe trim. Again, I suggested they take down the sheers and the valance because it really dated the house. In the kitchen I suggested that they install a new faucet and update the hardware on the cabinets. They used none of my suggestions and their house sat on the market for over a year. They decided to change realtors. Their new realtor made virtually the same recommendations which they followed and sold the house in less than 3 months!

[@flowersfrom7311]

Great video! I love the pictures and the comps, it makes it easier to understand what you are taking about.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Thank you!!

[@danam.8709]

The house is Fine... the Lot is the problem, absolutely.

[@leevincent3960]

Right on! Those ugly pink curtain-valance things are what we call the "strike of the drapery hag" window treatments.

[@sherimciver]

Regardless of a persons views on wall colors, window coverings, furniture placement and style, etc…. The idea of selling your home quickly & at a fair price is proper MARKETING. That’s what this realtor states over and over…. stage the photos to get people excited to come see the house….especially younger buyers like the under 40’s.

[@tamick2000]

The floors are a problem because of the high gloss. I bought a home with similar flooring and was constantly having to clean them because my dogs footprints transferred to the floor easily. Another problem is someone raising the price to make a change when a home isnt selling. Is that actually a thing? I think that doesn't work. I bet they were not interested in negotiating the price at all and probably lost an initial interested buyer.

[@rer1967]

Another thing that turnns buyers away is wood toned base boards and trim boards. It screams mobile home.

[@CindyPhillips-z7j]

The house I grew up in had wood colored baseboards and window trim. It was built in early 1980’s as a custom build.

[@lillieberger2883]

Not if they are cheery to match the rest of the woodwork.

[@rer1967]

@@lillieberger2883 , only if the style of the house is Victorian or Craftsman.

[@bradjackson497]

Nothing about that home makes me think of a mobile home.

[@danacaro-herman3530]

​@@bradjackson497 It's an absolutely beautiful home.

[@didomilan1725]

Living with 2005 accent walls. That green is awful, especially with the floors It seems like the woods in the kitchen, the staircase all vary in color too. Kinda weird. It looks like a good house though. I’m surprised that these drapes and small stuff haven’t been changed. Are these the original photos from 2022? It’s a very 90s wood oriented design which is very taste specific. This is a very interesting video!

[@Tanyalinares33]

I absolutely LOVE the colors in the home. They remind me of Autumn 🍁 I would absolutely LOVE to find a home like this if I were a buyer. I get so tired of all the homes having plain old grey and neutral boring colors that i have to paint after purchase.

[@shelbynamels973]

the thing about the refrigerator is that over time, their sizes have grown past the amount of space many builders allocated for them. The kitchen in my older house had so little space allocated to a refrigerator of just under 20 cubic feet (on the small side), that the existing cabinets had to be cut back to make room. There is also not enough room in front of it to fully open a single door fridge. I deliberately looked for a side-by-side unit for that reason. In this kind of a trade-off I would come down on the side of a bigger refrigerator instead of a smaller one that conforms with the counter space. A bigger refrigerator is more useful than a smaller one.

[@danamontroy8178]

Two things on this house: the wood on the floor doesn’t match the trim and doors. The floor is cherry, but the doors, cabinets and trim appear to be some sort of bleached or pickled finish. I couldn’t live with that mismatch and it’s expensive to fix. The kitchen is super weird too. It needs a renovation right to the studs to fix the strange layout. This house needs a serious clean out, neutralizing, and a DEEP discount. It’s always price at the end of the day.

[@globalfamily8172]

Do you think that style trends are regionally dependent? I dislike orange too, but if I saw a perfectly good house with just needing cosmetic work, I'd do the numbers and make my offer. What if they painted and refaced the cabinets? Very much agree with your comps.

[@eleanoreagly4844]

Is a light wheat color acceptable, it looks like a light cream and is so much warmer than white, yet it does not have a yellow tinge nor a beige.

[@briankowald6465]

That house was nice. Yes, colors are a little bold, but probably come back in style. The fridge wouldn’t bother me. Counter dept is small. Yes, clean up the storage.

[@lgrantnelson2863]

Used to know some people who flipped houses. They painted the walls off white. Rentals the same way. The orange walls are awful. The houses are too close together. I'm seeing that more and more.

[@vaderladyl]

I don't know but if I really want a house, almost nothing will stop me from buying it, much less having to repaint or having more challenging colored floors I bought mine and already repainted the whole house in and out by myself with the color I wanted and I decorated so now the floors look really complementary. The location, price, layout and the bones of the house are more important to me. And I didn't paint right away. I waited two years before painting. I get that when you sell it should be neutralized and I would do the same if I were selling but passing a great home just for a bad paint or minor cosmetic things, no way.

[@rpvitiello]

The problem is the price. Why pay $600,000 when a near identical house in the same neighborhood is $500,000. Either they need to fix the house up, or drop the price, because the house is nothing special.

[@vaderladyl]

@@rpvitiello Obviously the price is high and needs to be lowered.

[@JoXcalibur]

Also people caring about the furniture and how much you have inside. It's all going to be gone anyway. They're just wanting an excuse to rip off the seller.

[@vaderladyl]

@@JoXcalibur And I agree.

[@rpvitiello]

@@JoXcalibur people lack imagination. That’s why stores put products on display. People suck at visualizing things that aren’t clearly spelled out for them, and that includes houses.

[@lawyer1165]

I like the floors and woodwork in the subject house, but think they wouldn’t look as good contrasted against sterile white walls. The bathrooms show why buying the latest trend often is a bad idea. The dark brown floors in the newer house will be a pain to keep dust free. Also, those dark blue walls are an acquired taste.

[@proudliberal24-sv1wo]

Paint is so easy to do and so inexpensive compared to other renovations. I can't believe they did not paint everything a neutral color like light grey or off white. In the master bedroom, the carpet is not flat, it is buckled in the middle. The driveway on the front looks bad. At least power wash it before taking the photo. Also, repair any broken parts of the driveway. It is the first thing people see when driving up to the house. Even so, that home would be 1.3 million where I live in northern VA. LOL.

[@kaystinebrink1220]

Your Sellers Playbook is great. I started repainting my rooms three years before we put our home on the market.

[@kathrynp7595]

I agree , it is fantastic

[@KatiSpaniak]

Thank you both!!!

[@Adogslife54]

Buyers have a surprising lack of vision. If you don’t show them how the house can be, they can’t see it. Even if the fixes are simple.

[@jillcnc]

I've had friends say "I have to get X amount for my house" or "I look at the Zillow estimate because that's the highest one." People don't realize that any house is worth only what someone is willing to pay for it. It's better to under-price and have the possibility of a bidding war than to overprice and keep dropping.

[@LivingInNashvilleTennessee1]

Fantastic video Katie always great information. Thank you.

[@KatiSpaniak]

You are so welcome!

[@suzyqlasvegas]

I agree 100%. I don’t want to move in and have to paint an entire house. I also look at homes that have a ton of stuff on the walls. I think about all those holes to patch and walls to paint.

[@jeffsaxton716]

That fridge could possibly be recessed, depending on what's behind the wall. There again though, added expense. BTW, in my experience it's always the wife who decides whether a couple buys a particular house.

[@debbiemoseley3570]

Used to live in Chicago. The house in the video looks like Arlington Heights rebuilds. Enjoy your useful videos.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Thanks for watching!

[@valeriedison8838]

In that room right off the entry looks like it was originally a dining room with the light fixture on the ceiling

[@danacaro-herman3530]

I would much rather have the home priced at 585 than the cold monstrosity with the terrible hard navy blue walls and that atrocious cold fireplace!! Kati Im sorry, everyone has different tastes, I absolutely love natural wood cabinetry in the kitchen. No comparison in my book sorry.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Well! It’s for sale!! It’s all yours!! Thx for your comments!! Love it

[@danacaro-herman3530]

@@KatiSpaniak Way to big for me and my husband was just diagnosed with Parkinson's. We need one level living now.

[@KatiSpaniak]

@@danacaro-herman3530 I'm sure this is a difficult time for you. Hoping that some of my videos can help you.

[@danacaro-herman3530]

​@@KatiSpaniak Kati, you have wonderful videos. I'd give my right arm to have you as my realtor!! And I mean that.❤️. It's been very difficult but we'll find our way.

[@KatiSpaniak]

@@danacaro-herman3530 Aren't you sweet!! If you need someone in your area, please feel free to fill out the form and we will find you someone. bit.ly/Find-An-Agent-54

[@maureenhargrave3568]

As long as the home is structurally intact, I can deal with paint. I cannot deal with wallpaper kitchen is important to me and do not like where the upper cabinets do not go to the ceiling. To me that’s a waste of space that could be utilized for storage. I always wonder who climbs up there and cleans and how long has it been since the tops of those upper cabinets were cleaned

[@loridemars4549]

It’s obvious why this house hasn’t sold. The realtor did their client a disservice by not being honest with them . The client has a choice. Either paint and neutralize the home or price it so it makes up for the work that needs to be done. Otherwise, this is the results, a house that doesn’t sell and sits on the market year after year.

[@Geronimo2Fly]

Or, the realtor told the sellers exactly what they needed to do, and they refused. Thirty years ago my (then-)husband and I were looking for our first home, One we looked at had taxidermied animals everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE. Every space on the wall, every countertop, every shelf, every everything, had a dead animal on it. I swear, who shoots and taxidermies squirrels and skunks?? It was absolutely horrible. I told our agent I had to get out of there, the creepiness factor and air of death everywhere was overwhelming to me. She told me that the sellers' agent had told them to put all that in storage, but the husband was so proud of his "kills" that he absolutely refused. I wonder to this day how they ever sold that house.

[@marthajean50]

Who the heck wants those brick pillars all over their front lawn? Looks like an obstacle course for the delivery drivers! 🤣

[@MrBalletHippo]

Your point about asking price in relation to appraised value for a buyers mortgage is such an eye opener for me! I'm in Europe but I would definitely use your services if I was in your area. Thank you for your time and effort in continuously providing valuable insight.

[@KatiSpaniak]

I'm glad you found that information helpful! It's always good to be aware of these details in the real estate market.

[@dawnelder9046]

No prison grey. We painted over that right away. Made the wood ceilings look grey and depressing.

[@jnicky2569]

This was excellent. YES I subscribed. We have a lot of work to do before we sell. We brought a fixer upper, and i promptly got let go from my big money job. We are 12 years on struggle street, but we are moving forward. Thank you for the good videos. Keep them coming!

[@KatiSpaniak]

Oh thank you!! You made my day!!good luck to you and keep in touch!

[@valeriedison8838]

I used to be a realtor and i love your channel! I so agree with you.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@deborahdufel1664]

The basement stuff needs to go to storage.

[@suetucker9264]

It's the paint and the touchups needed. The stuff in the basement hides any potential problems, too. Overall, though, a lovely home.❤

[@anitaboddington4837]

I love the orange and the yellow on the walls and the green. I love those colors.

[@emilyfeagin2673]

I have seen paint scare buyers away. Thank you for the download. I’m looking for a nuetral paint color for my own hone

[@KatiSpaniak]

Paint color can definitely make a big impact on buyers' perceptions!

[@WishIwassomewhereelse]

This really is a nice looking house. I don’t like the colors or floors, but really you can live there and make changes over time.

[@KatiSpaniak]

That’s true for sure

[@brianciofani4698]

Great points!! I would note that the deal doesn't fall through because the appraisal is low. The parties just have to agree on who comes up with the difference. Happens all the time. We had a new construction listed for $320k, it had a VA appraisal at $301k (we told the buyer we weren't budging) they walked and the house then sold in 6 days, $330k, cash.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Who knew real estate could be such a rollercoaster ride? It's all about finding the right buyer with the right offer!

[@Dessertlover]

Location? That property would be much more here in Denver.

[@r.1599]

The fridge picture reminds me of my situation. I live in an apartment building with cabinets that are over 50 years old. They are small and low. A new fridge was slid into the space under them maybe 20 years ago, and it is too big for that space. Not only does it protrude too much, it also blocks access to the cupboards above; you have to climb on top of the fridge to get to them, and then the bottom of the cupboard doors scrape the top of the fridge to the point that you can't open them. You can't use them at all.

[@NdnUrbanCat]

I removed the doors on the cabinet above the refrigerator.

[@juliebarnett9812]

I'd put some flowers in the front yard and, yes, clean up the drive and move the garbage cans. There's nothing wrong with the house, but neutral paint colors would make a big difference. They could just paint over the orange in the rooms and it might fly like that. The green is somewhat neutral. I stage the bathrooms with some nice white towels, a white shower curtain and a small vase of flowers or some kind of Zen to give it a spa feel. All the rest is noise.

[@victoriachanel2493]

What would you do to the kitchen to update it?

[@KatiSpaniak]

The kitchen is pretty good quality. I think the walls are bad

[@meta_pyx]

The only thing that matters is price. A low enough price easily justifies remodeling. The real issue is a commission based on maximum price attainable. The owner should find another realtor. Due to competition, repaint it neutral. It will smell clean and enticing.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Pricing is SO important!! I completely agree. Thank you for watching!

[@lisarogers5873]

Paint can make an outdated home look so fresh. Furniture covers in white or black can help too. The mixed wood tones are a turn-off (stairs vs. flooring vs. cabinets). I would say in the kitchen to change the flooring to a neutral tile. Trying to get wood and LVP to look good together is difficult unless the LVP was a tile look.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Paint is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to get more money out of your home! A fresh coat of paint makes the home feel cleaner and ready to invite new owners in. Thanks for watching!

[@candacehassard274]

we sold our house to the first people who saw it. she loved the bright green walls and he hated them!

[@winniethepoohandeeyore2]

Cherry wood is my fave.

[@susanalexander7990]

What do you do if there is nothing like your property to compare it to? We have a 12 acre farm with a historic home and out buildings. Lots of historic homes here but acreage is totally different.

[@KatiSpaniak]

That’s tough. You have to find something that sold that “ your buyer” would have also bought. Then you add on dollars for the acreage.

[@ToriHartman]

I have a bit of experience buying and selling - that said - I learn something new everytime i watch you! x Tori

[@KatiSpaniak]

Thank you so much, Tori! I'm glad you find my videos informative.

[@lisaaustin4561]

Grease stains in the driveway NO! Power wash! Do something! For a buyer like me, I see that and won’t get out of the 🚙

[@cyndij8312]

You'd be passing up some good homes if you can't see beyond surface imperfections. Layout and location are more.

[@vaderladyl]

Just for a few grease stains I am not going to pass a potentially great home.

[@jwallace9984]

I agree…clean the driveway! And get rid of fake flowers and tchotchkes in the garden. Curb appeal is important!

[@evitarudzite2632]

Ultimately everything sells for the right price. If the price is too high, it will sit. 515k vs 584k is big difference. In our neighborhood in Chicago one tear down house is sitting on the market for 5 years because the seller is not budging on the price.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Price is KEY!! I have a ton of information and videos on this as well! Thanks for watching!

[@DaciaMassage]

Its amazing what a neutral paint color does to a home. And also pricing the home correctly. Also, make sure you have an agent that's not afraid to tell you the truth.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Yes! Choosing the right paint and pricing makes all the difference in selling a home.

[@Teeders]

When looking at a house, I always take into consideration of the paint on the walls. I've seen so many rooms that are green screen green or just ugly colors that I can't be bothered with painting over or tolerating. I also think about where the fridge is placed and how the cabinets are. Am I going to constantly be bumping doors, is it hard to get into this cabinet? Is the fridge so big that the doors don't open all the way because its too close to the cabinets? Is the toilet too close to the bath, door or wall? I'm going to be selling my home soon and it's going to be completely empty, I was lucky enough to be able to already have a place to move back to. The paint will need touchups but it's the same neutral colors when I bought the house five years ago.

[@paultaendler3308]

I'm learning so much from you!

[@KatiSpaniak]

So glad to hear that! Thank you!!

[@jenewingtxlpc]

I’ve been looking at homes for about a year now, and when I see houses with rooms that essentially become storage rooms, or they have a lot of added storage bins, etc. they got at Walmart, I think either they don’t have much room for storage or they’re hoarders. And hoarders usually don’t clean their homes because there’s too much stuff in the way. I’ll exit the listing and won’t even finish looking at it.

[@Reed-2big]

The refrigerator looks commercial and thus oversized. Another solution could be a cabinet, above that is closer to the depth of the fridge.

[@SoulfulVeg]

I sold my small Florida house last year. I probably took 1/4 of my stuff to the thift store or or trash can. Another 1/4 to 1/3 went to storage. Staging a house makes it an impractical space. That's what it takes to get the offers though, especially on a modest property.

[@DarkandStormyNight01]

The first thing I noticed in the master bedroom is that the carpet needs "stretching". It's stretched out and baggy by the bed and in front of the bathroom? door. This tells me the carpet was prob badly stained and has been soaked attempting to clean it. I would worry the stains would come back.

[@AM-jb7oz]

Wow a lot of information shared, thank you.

[@KatiSpaniak]

I'm glad you found the information helpful!

[@dlynnmorse]

House goes on the market in August wanted tips on selling home. What we need to do to get it ready.

[@jeanettewaverly2590]

Those colors are hideous.

[@bettyir4302]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If it isn't your idea of beauty, negotiate the closing price. Buy paint, ask some friends over, order pizza and it's a whole new house over the weekend.

[@butterflygirl3359]

I don’t understand about a 10 or 15 year old bathroom cabinet looking like a 10 or 15 year old cabinet. If people want a new house they can buy a new house. And I despise cold boring colors. I want warmth in my home.

[@sherrieludwig508]

When I am buying a house, I don't give a flying f about the wall color. She goes on and on about it, and it is the LAST THING I care about. I am going to repaint nine times out of ten, especially with everybody going to the sad greys and off whites, I didn't buy a house to live in a mausoleum.

[@valentingarciaable]

***🔥🔥🔥**** I agree with you 100% the paint color unless it's something extreme is not problematic at all and 😊 she kept saying orange and it really wasn't the orange LOL the house I think it's just priced wrong😊 I need to be manicured and some TLC on the outside.

[@sharpcanines3347]

Where the heck is this? You can't buy a fixer upper 1 bdrm condo in Vancouver BC for $585,000

[@DrewMiller1]

There’s a gap between the kitchen cabinets and the ceiling. It should be storage space, but instead it’s going to collect grease.

[@1painter4hire]

Usually when a seller calls me I give a discounted Move-Out Paint Job. Consisting of flat white ceilings and flat linen white walls . Just to be neutral and fresh., Also take any personal touch items out, curtains, pictures, empty as much of your stuff as possible.

[@knmonlinemedia]

I love the colors and cherry floors. The light needed to be changed. huge ass fridge can always be replaced. Everything doesnt need to be gray and beige. But the yard and house is too close. I shouldn't pay 500k and hear my neighbor cough 😅

[@carlcarlson4642]

Pretty critical. Beautiful home. The things you are talking decorating, not major renovations. Most people change paint colors, curtains etc when they move in. Lame reasons the house won’t sell. Over priced, no. Your job is not to critique and talk about the negatives 😂, but show the buyer the positives the homes have t offer. I would never have you sell my house. You’re looking for a quick turn around. Lowering the price, will give you a quicker sale. You lose a few hundred at the lower cost, the seller loses thousands,

[@JoXcalibur]

Absolutely agree, if you were a good agent you would not focus on cosmetic mi or updates.

[@jeannineterese1037]

I had one couple look at my old house and ask tons of weird questions.(Why do we need security cameras?) I think they were just nosey! They didn’t buy, just wasted our time.😂

[@kutatm]

Maybe they wanted to know more about your neighbors. Or crime in the area.

[@citticat2]

There is this house in my neighborhood that has also been sitting on the market for a year - $2,25M. A 6 bedroom - 2 bath, 4,200 sq ft home with a huge lot, various room colors, beautiful granite counter tops, older cabinets, a stone kitchen floor, a wine cellar, and 2 stories but no bathroom on the 1st floor and only a shower in the master bath. Sure enough a brand new home with all white walls went on the market, a much smaller lot, 3,800 sq ft, 3 bedroom, 3 bath, two levels with a bathroom on each level, a bigger owners suite with a bathtub, and up to date kitchen and bathrooms. After just 2 showing the house is "on contract" -- $2.6 Mil. People are downsizing and want move-in properties.

[@myboyjasper]

I am elderly, my house needs TONS of updating, and I can't afford to update it or to pay the real estate taxes. The lot is nice and the location is good. I can't afford to stage it. Only a flipper would want to buy it.

[@valeriehopkins644]

She's got a point. GET THE BUYERS IN! I personally like a floor plan.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Absolutely, getting the buyers interested is key!

[@Moonflowers11]

When I sold my house I cleaned up. I gave away a lot of stuff for free using an online listing. When we bought we saw a cluttered basement that had a sleeping person in it!!!! My partner was later arguing with me that there was no basement because he blocked it out of his memory. Get rid of the junk in the basement to storage, charities, online listings or garbage.

[@marlene56-143]

And wake up the sleeping people & send them to Dunkin' for a cup of coffee! I loved your anecdote!

[@nadiacoffey2609]

This house is very dated, and looks big which reads to me as a huge amount of money to update it. I’m sure it’s well built, but if someone is looking at it who doesn’t want to spend thousands to update it, then they will pass. The other thing is the rooms with all of the junk need to be emptied out. Get a storage unit if anything and move it all out until you have time to go through everything.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Yep! Great point!

[@kennixox262]

Always go with a counter depth refrigerator even if it is not a built in model. Another good idea would to box in the side of the refrigerator which visually reduces the bulk of the unit. The best time to paint is when the house is empty, buyers or sellers. Same with carpets/flooring get that squared away before moving in. I also replace the toilets as sitting on someone else's is just NO.

[@stephanierando3477]

I love the floors but you have to tone down the walls with floors like that. Cherry flloors are warm so you can go white without losing warmth

[@seahagkeylover]

Home is too close to the next homes for one, then the paint inside is gross so...