I don’t quite agree with you. Unless PatB’s house is going for a bargain basement price, I think he needs to spiff it up a bit.
Even in a crappy market, there is still that certain “something” that attracts buyers – I think much of it is psychological.
I’ve been told that buyers make up their mind about a place within the first 10-15 seconds of walking in the door.
When we told our realtor what to list the townhouse at (which we sold in another state), she was skeptical. She even said, “be prepared to wait a while.”
We listed the place for $25K more than her suggested price and spent about $2500 on staging, furniture rental, etc. In the end, we sold the place FAST and got our price.
If we hadnt staged it, we are convinced it would have stayed on the market longer (thus, more mortgage payments) and probably would have garnered a lower sales price.
Many buyers talked about how “inviting” the house felt, etc. Some buyers also noted that in a sea of townhomes, ours really stood out and made an impression.
Clearly, if a seller HAS to sell fast you do what you have to do.
Maybe PatB will get lucky and find a buyer who has imagination and vision.
I still believe a few changes would make a big difference.
