“Get me out of here! Peach. They painted everything peach! It reminds me of my Great Aunt’s peach place – everything there smelled like mothballs and rotten cabbage… I think I’m getting sick.”
“I detest carpet. I can’t tell you how much I hate it! What the…? Carpet on the patio, in the dining room – they even carpeted the bathrooms…the BATHROOMS! And did you see the indoor/ outdoor carpet in the kitchen? What’s with that?”
Cringe Factors
I get it. I pull up to an attractive home in a coveted neighborhood. I meet my buyers at the curb; they have the LOOK. This could be it! I open the front door, we walk in and discover… skinny baseboards, brass hardware, high/low carpet, shiny saffron-colored walls. We make our way to the kitchen to discover fluorescent light fixtures, honey oak cabinets, mauve Formica countertops and glossy 8” by 8” dusty pink tile floors with – you guessed it – gritty stained grout.
Look Beyond What You See
Some of my Austin home buyers “Get It.” They are not buying a peach colored house; they are buying a home poised for paint. They are not buying carpet; they are buying a house ready for new flooring. They are not buying brass and oak; they are making a wise investment.
But what about the buyer who can only see with their eyes? Getting to “Get It” may take time. The houses as it stands is reality. So how do we transition from reality to “Get It?”
Color Wheel – Different than Wheel of Fortune
For the buyer who wants to see what can be, I never start at a paint store. Why? Sherwin Williams offers 1526 named colors (Emotional, High Strung, Show Stopper…now that would be a fun job – naming paint colors). Besides small paint chips are worthless (says my stager). I prefer to take my client to a cluster of model homes. “Tell me what grabs your eye,” I ask. I then find out the name of the paint company and the color. Next? I give an assignment. Here it is:
- Drive to Hobby Lobby and buy four or five 40X60 foam boards. One for each color. Some paint companies now have large peel and place samples. This is even better!
- Go to the proper paint store and buy a sample of the color you like.
- Paint one board one color. After it dries, take each one and start placing it around where you live. How does it match your furniture? Your decorating pieces? How does it make you feel? How does it look in a different light? You may like it in bright light but not low light.
- Narrow your choice to three. Call me.
- We return to the scene of the crime…uh, I mean to the peach painted house.
- We walk around with the painted foam boards. “See what it could look like?”
Yank the Carpet
Depending on the age of the house, I’ve had some of my Austin buyers gasp when we lifted a corner of the carpet to discover vintage red oak flooring. Other times? Cement. No worries. We have options.
Option #1: We Negotiate
Step 1. Make a Plan – what are the bare minimums? Paint? Wood? Tile? Laminate?
Step 2: Get a Quote – I can provide reliable contractors.
Step 3: Determine Priorities – Some items are “Right NOW before we move in.” Others can wait a few months.
As a REALTOR®, I can now negotiate with clarity and precision with the seller’s agent. My goal? To reduce the price to cover the remodel.
Option #2: We Continue Our Search
If negotiations fail to produce the right outcome, we walk. As we do, I am confident of this – we will walk toward a better deal! I truly believe it. I’ve sold nearly 250 homes and have seen it again and again.
Process
Purchasing a home is a process. By nature, I am a problem solver. This is who I am. This is what I do. Therefore, I ask questions. All the time. Why is this important? Buying a house is like solving a puzzle. The more we can identify the pieces, the quicker we can arrive at our destination: finding the right house at the right price at the right time.
Maybe you’ve had a challenging time finding your right home. Maybe you gave up. I get it. Tell you what, call me, text me, email me (503-781-0206 | ivy.stanton@exprealty.com). Let’s talk. Who knows, maybe there is a new listing – a peach property waiting just for you to “Get It.’
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