What to Look For When Buying A Home
Part Three: The Small Stuff
Okay, now we can talk about a trip to the hardware store. It's easy to change flooring, shower heads or put on a new coat of paint but it's impossible to pick up a home that's in the wrong county and put it in the right one.
Small Items
Landscaping and Exterior Finishes
There have been a million words written on curb appeal as a tool for home sellers, but very few on how buyers might be better off to ignore it. Though a home may look rough from the sidewalk, in reality a pressure washer and some heavy duty gardening shears can make a world of difference.
Interior Finishes
Although interior finishes are what dazzle on the internet, compared to the other items on this list they’re relatively minor and easy to fix. Our listing clients are always amazed by what good lighting and a coat of paint can do for a room or a whole house. Flooring is often simpler and cheaper to change than buyers assume, and even kitchens can be replaced more easily and cheaply than you’d think.
Furniture and Cleanliness
Again, this is an item that comes up later in the home search but it bears mentioning now. It’s easy to look at a room on a photo or during a tour and be so turned off by the furniture and cleanliness (or lack thereof) that you lose track of what’s important – the room itself. Too much or too little furniture can have a dramatic effect on the function and appearance of a space, and dirtiness and unpleasant smells are distracting but (usually) easy to get rid of.