When you sell a house in a buyer’s market, a lot of things work against you. Your real estate listing shouldn’t be one of those things. Find out what buyers and their agents typically see as a red flag in a listing and how to avoid them.

Red Flag: No Photos

Including photos in the listing should be a no-brainer, but sellers routinely list properties without pictures, and they do so to their detriment, says Don Tepper, a Realtor with Long & Foster in Burke, Va.

“One red flag in many buyers’ eyes is the lack of photos for a listing,” Tepper says. “There can be some legitimate reasons for few (or no) photos in a listing: The sellers want privacy, or they have valuables they don’t want in the photos. But many would-be buyers — rightly or wrongly — assume that there’s something wrong.”

Tepper says it’s a good idea to have about a dozen photos. But that number isn’t a hard and fast rule. You want to convey a good sense of the property by ensuring the pictures match the description and showcase the features you highlighted. If the listing emphasizes a great view, it pays to have a photo of the view.

Red Flag: Lack of Transaction Details

In the last few years, buyers have had a crash course on buying distressed properties, whether short sales or foreclosures. But that experience hasn’t always been good, and according to Karl J. Trommler, business development manager for PenFed Realty in Reston, Va., a big red flag is a distressed property listing without transaction details.

“When the listing says it is a short sale, but does not address whether or not the lender has been informed and approved of the price, it can be a big red flag,” says Trommler, who cautions against getting involved when the listing language refers to third-party approval, but fails to identify that party.

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Simply put, the more parties involved in the transaction, the more complicated. Short sellers who are able to be upfront about the deal stand a far better chance of attracting the right buyer at the right time, Trommler says.

Red Flag: Hyperbole

A listing that claims to offer the very best property on the market might not do the seller any favors, says Ziad Najm, a broker at Cedar Real Estate in Mission Viejo, Calif. He cautions against outlandish and hyperbolic claims.

“While creativity should be maximized to market a listing, these claims can be highly subjective and can be interpreted in many ways by different buyers,” Najm says. “Some buyers may be turned off to begin with and some will inevitably be disappointed if the claim doesn’t live up to their expectations.”

It’s a fine line, but according Najm, sellers do well to stay away from superlative claims. So rather than describing the house as “the best,” a more sensible strategy is to focus on adjectives that are flattering, but leave room for other opinions.

Red Flag: Price Too Good to Be True

A low price sounds like a great way to attract buyers, but if you go too low, there’s a chance your strategy can backfire. When a seller’s agent suggests such a strategy, the homeowner should be on guard.

“Typically, multiple buyers will be attracted to the low asking price and eventually the sales price will climb close to market value as competing offers bid up the price,” Najm says. “However, the strategy is not without risk in that some buyers will be alienated by a potential bidding war.”

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Even more worrisome is the possibility that a low price will attract unqualified buyers looking to snatch up a bargain. If that happens, the house won’t sell at all, and the seller will have devalued the property with a low listing price.

So if you’re going to gamble on a low listing price, Najm says, “it’s very important to have a solid knowledge of market conditions before using this kind of high-risk, high-reward strategy.”

Red Flag: The Flipper

Believe it or not, phrases such as “newly remodeled” and “recently updated” can be red flags to some buyers because they could indicate that the seller is out to flip the house. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but sellers should work to highlight any improvements while being careful not to present the home as a flip, according to Vince Clingenpeel, whose Clingenpeel Properties in Falls Church, Va., inspects homes on behalf of buyers.

“The biggest fear I have for buyers is the flip,” Clingenpeel says. “In my experience, one out of 20 is properly executed with proper permits.”

While a lack of proper permits might mean a headache for a buyer, Clingenpeel reports that buyers of flipped homes sometimes find that the quality of the work done is “horrendous.” So if you’re selling a newly remodeled home, make sure to emphasize that the work was properly permitted and executed at a level any homeowner would be happy with.

Red Flag: “As Is”

Selling a property “as is” isn’t all that unusual, and it shouldn’t be a deal breaker. But when you see the term in a listing — especially these days — it can be a reason for caution, says Diane Conaway, a San Diego broker with Re/Max United.

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These days, “as is” can mean “previous owners stole everything including the kitchen and bathrooms,” Conaway says. “Our contract states ‘as is’ anyway, but some agents restate that in the listing, which is a disservice to their sellers.”

While listing a property’s shortcomings has its drawbacks, Conaway believes it’s better to include obvious improvements a buyer will want to make, rather than saying “as is.” If it’s clear that the house needs new carpet, Conaway says it’s better to just say so because any serious buyer will likely use that as a negotiation point anyway. But if you list the property “as is,” you could make the buyer think the worst.

Bagua courtesy of Feng Shui Palace

Now that we’ve covered the 5 Key Elements of Feng Shui, the next step is to understand the role that direction plays in the flow of energy through a space. I have attached a Bagua for you to print out.  This will allow you to map your own space. 

A Bagua (pronounced Ba – Gwa) is similar to a compass.  When placed over a floorplan, it allows the user to recognize certain functional energies within the home. It will also demonstrate where the 5 Key Elements are most present. To use the Bagua properly, remember that WATER represents the front of the house, FIRE, the rear of the house. If your front door opens to the left or right of center, it will fall within the Blue or Gray areas of the Bagua.

For example, you will notice that the far right rear corner of a home is the relationship space. This is the best location for a Master Bedroom.  If your Master Bedroom is not located in this area, you can still harness the energy of this space to improve your relationships by accentuating the color scheme, the openness, the warmth, etc.

But what if the back corner of your house is missing, like an L-shaped home?  What you can do is add life to the area outside the home by placing a beautiful stone, a pink flowering dogwood, a lovely meditation area, or simply a welcoming sitting area for two on the deck. 

What you don’t want is for this to be a negative space, like your junk room, or where you place your trashcans.   If it is, clean it up, hide your trashcans behind a neat fence, and add something positive to the space.

The same rule goes for all areas of your home.  In fact, the Bagua can be used in each room of the house to understand the energy fields at work.  You could also use it to plan your garden, to landscape your entire property and to choose the best site for building a new home or business.

Feng Shui is all about positive intention.  Most of you have read or watched “The Secret” or have heard me quote the Law of Attraction.  All of these “modern” concepts are rooted in the ancient art of Feng Shui.

Let’s face it.  We all want a happy home, a fulfilling career, a healthy and loving family, financial security, a committed relationship with someone we love.  Feng Shui helps us create the foundation for that energy to enter and work for us.

It’s not rocket science or voodoo medicine. It’s simply a process of improving your life by consciously welcoming positive energy into your space. 

The best part is, it’s univerally applicable.  You can use Feng Shui to help sell your house or find a new one, to attract a better job, to improve your health, to harmonize your familial relationships, to increase your vitality or calm your anxieties.  It’s all in your intentions. 

Like the saying goes,

It works if you work it.  So work it ’til it works.

If you would like help with using a Bagua to buy or sell a home, I provide consultations to homeowners upon request.  I can also help you find Feng Shui architects, health advisors and sustainable builders. It all begins with you.

This article is from staging experts, ecomodpod.  My comments are in purple.

1. Greater outdoor living space: Patios and outside spaces are increasingly being seen as an extension of the indoor space.

Our climate is so temperate that most buyers expect to spend the majority of their time outdoors. The better you can stage the backyard patio the higher your chances of selling.  Designate areas by function: Sitting and cooking close to the house, playing and landscaping storage areas further to the back.

2. Increased use of basements even in the south: In many areas where lots are small, home owners are using basements to increase their square footage either by finishing the basement for living space or using it for storage. 

Down here that means buyers expect elevated contruction to have usable space under the home. Even though flood insurance will not allow you to consider this as finished square footage, buyers will expect to be able to use the space for storage, recreation and workshop uses. Designating these areas is a good idea before you put the home on the market.  

3. Fewer walls, less rooms, increased family gathering spaces: Families are gravitating to larger, common rooms that better suit the way they live. Each year, fewer and fewer homes are built with a formal living room. In fact, thirty-four percent of consumers say they’re willing to buy a home without a living room.

If you don’t want to knock out walls, increase spaciousness by removing most of the furniture and brightening up the color of the room.  Switch out heavy drapes for lightweight curtains gently draped over the valance.  Better yet, bamboo roll blinds are still in vogue and give the home a “greener” look.

4. Wood floors are king:  Hardwood floors are very desirable. 17% of new homes were built with hardwood floors throughout the entire home. 

Here’s a money saver:  most buyers do not know the difference between high and medium grades of wood.  Don’t break the bank when you install hardwood floors but do match the finish to the look you want.  In other words, lighter colors are contemporary, darker colors are more traditional.  If you want to appeal to the most people, go with a medium color finish.  That way you can incorporate it in either direction.

5. Home offices get more attention: With many working from home or working late at home, the home office has taken on greater importance. Some new homes have separate entries allowing a more professional way of conducting business. Others are simply set off from the rest of the home for greater privacy.

If you don’t have a home office room, take the smallest bedroom and stage it as an office.  Keep it light and uncluttered.  A simple laptop area with a book shelf and chair will communicate your intentions.  It will also make the room look bigger and turn a tiny bedroom into a functional space.

6. Wi-Fi makes computer nooks unnecessary – Charging stations are in: Why have a dedicated spot in the kitchen or back hall for a computer when you can use your laptop anywhere in the house?  Instead small nooks are now holding charging stations for all of the electronics we carry… cell phones, iPods, etc.

The best place for charging areas is an office closet or the utility room.  Stage it with a cordless battery charger and make sure that all cords are tied neatly.  The last thing you want is a mess.

7. Extravagant extras are out:  Wood trim and iron work is less ornate. Staircases no longer serve as a centerpiece of an entryway, but are again relegated to their functional origins. Even fireplaces are considered expendable – only 51% of new homes were built with a fireplace in 2007, according to the U.S. Census. 

If you have a fireplace, make sure it is spotless and staged ready for use.  Many people put decorative candles in the fire area but this may backfire on you, leading the buyer’s agent to think that the fireplace is non-functional.  If it’s there, it should work and should appear clean and fresh.  Many times I will add logs to the grate and a small basket of neatly tied kindling to the hearth.  If you do not have a fireplace, add a fire element to the outdoors, like a chiminola, fire circle of neatly stacked bricks or blocks or an inexpensive wood burning unit.  They can be found in any outdoor section of Lowe’s, Walmart, Home Depot.  Again, stage it so that the buyer can approach, sit down and imagine themselves in a fire circle of friends. 

In my opinion, the best thing you can do to sell your home is get a Qualified Realtor to walk through it with you prior to putting it on the market. Staging companies are wonderful but can cost a lot of money.  Realtors like me who love staging a home, can really help you see your home in a new light and suggest inexpensive ways to achieve your desired effect.

For a free consultation contact me anytime.    843 276-1618 or Just Click Here

Sources: ecomodpod.com