In a recent article the headline reads "Home Buyers Shun 'Fixer-Uppers'".  You can click and read the article, but it goes on to say how many home buyers want move-in ready as a top priority.  This has been my experience in taking home buyers to listings. They throw out words and phrases like "dated" "needing upgrades" "lacking newer finishes".  Which leads me to the question, is HGTV to blame?

Before we moved to our current home we had basic cable.  Just the local channels and PBS.  When we went on our home search we had the eyes of a then average homebuyer - looking for something that would meet the needs of our growing family, had a nice layout, "potential", nice neighborhood and good schools.  The fact that it had original flooring, faucets and appliances were factors, but we said "we can replace them over time".  Our home still does not have granite countertops, wood floors or custom tiles.  I still hate my white kitchen floor and bright blue tile backsplash insets,  and yet it meets the needs of our family and we still love it!

Enter the new age of HGTV savvy buyers. They wrinkle their nose at laminate flooring, beautiful counters that are in great shape but aren't "granite".  They want their new home to look new even if it is 10, 20, 30 or more years old.  Even worse they take the factors of their personal preference of upgrades, and subjective pricing and decide that is how much less they need to offer from the asking price.  Afterall, most homes on House Hunters look professionally staged when people move in and they are all smiles. That is the dream of home buyers.

The home sellers in the age of HGTV expect that they can squeeze out most home improvements into $$$$.  I cringe each time I see a show that says "well with these improvements your home is now valued at $$$$"  The homeowners hug and maybe cry a little. The problem is that even if it is "valued" at $$$$ a home buyer may only offer $$. Value does not equate sales and cash in your pocket necessarily.  If you make improvements in your home and update will it sell quickly?, probably, will you recoup all your investment? - probably not.  In this day and age home buyers want and expect move-in ready and updated.  If you offer what they expect, they are not going to assign greater value to it  - they just won't subtract as much from your list price.

In this day and age it is not simply saying I bought my house for _________and we put in _______  and we have closing costs to cover and we want a profit so our asking price should be __________.  While that sounds nice, it is not reality (even if your Uncle Fred tells you that is the way to do it). This is why it is so important to sit down with a good Realtor who will tell you the truth and not just want you want to hear, and help you set a realistic price on your home based on what sells in your neighborhood.

Is HGTV to blame?  Maybe, but then again whoever said you should believe everything you see on TV.   If you need a Realtor, please give me a call 713.817.5710