Remember the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears? One chair was too small, the next chair was too big and the last chair was JUST RIGHT! Buying a home is a lot like that.

For example, Mr. & Mrs. Buyer are relocating to another town with a job transfer. They have sold their previous property, have money for a down payment, closing cost, moving expenses and have the required amount of reserve money that the mortgage company has required for unexpected emergencies.

There are 3 houses on their list of houses to consider in the area where they want to live

House A: Fixer-Upper.  Needs repairs, updating and an over-all “facelift”, however, meets their needs as far as size, location and school district. It’s going to require time, expense and expertise that Mr. & Mrs. Buyer doesn’t have.

House B: Beautifully Decorated !  and located just down the street from House A, has been professionally decorated for the current home owner. The rooms have been painted and wallpapered in the home sellers favorite colors, the children’s rooms have beautiful murals painted on the walls with princesses and favorite super heroes . The flooring, all though beautiful, is light in color and the buyers have 3 teenagers and 2 dogs. To make the house work for Mr. & Mrs. Buyers family, everything will need to be changed to go with their current furnishings and families needs. The house will need to be repainted, new flooring installed and the children’s bedrooms will have to be changed to suit their teen age children. Again, another property that will require time and expense that The Buyers do not have.

House C: Properly Staged with a Buyer In Mind!  It’s in the same neighborhood as Houses A & B , it has been professionally prepared and showcased to appeal to a broader amount of buyers. The walls are freshly painted with neutral colors that will go with Mr. & Mrs. Buyers current furnishings, the flooring is family and pet friendly, everything from the countertops, to lighting and bathroom fixtures has been updated to current styles. The family can move right in and begin their life in a new town without having to do one thing to this house.

The message of this story is to understand that whether your house needs updating and repairing, or has been beautifully decorated and it should be in an issue of House Beautiful, they both require the same amount of work for a buyer to make it their own . Someone is going to have to spend time and money to make them ready for a buyer to move right in. If you CAN find a buyer that is willing to make the needed changes, the offer will be much lower than it would have cost you to make the changes yourself.

So, go ahead and save yourself the frustration of low ball offers or too much time on the market and make your property “JUST RIGHT” for a buyer.