You seem to be indicating that sellers have to follow whatever is trendy. The problem with this is that today's trendy is tomorrow's dated. Yes, go neutral, maybe switch out 1990s polished brass cabinet pulls. But to expect sellers to change out all their doorknobs and hinges because oil-rubbed bronze is out and brushed gold is in, or to refinish the perfectly beautiful hardwood floors because two years ago darker floors were in and now decorators are saying lighter floors are in, is a fool's errand. My area had a housing boom in the early 2000s and a good portion of the "newer" housing stock has those damn soaker tubs that no one uses anymore. Every time I see a house I say "I would want to take that out and expand the shower." And yet the house may still be priced fairly. It's just not reasonable to expect a seller to spend tens of thousands of dollars on gewgaws because something is trendy now.
I loved that first house. I would change some of the colors, but nobody’s gonna buy that for the house, they’re gonna buy it for the land and the outbuildings in the property.
Everyone in TN has their home way overpriced. They better find an out of state buyer, because none of us would pay that much for that house with close neighbors with no land. If it has an HOA they can forget it.
Suggestion for finding the best neutral paint for your hard finishes like tile floors and counters: I love Marie Killiam's neutral color wheel system for finding undertones. If you notice she uses many of the same colors that Katie's says photograph well. Highly recommend her YT channel "color rescue." Marie also has a great series of videos on timeless design which echos Katie's thoughts on up grades that sell. She answeres the question which white is the right white to paint my kitchen cabinets? It might be a greet interview for Katie to talk to Marie. Also, for those of us who live in sub tropical and tropical climates, moisture proof is very important. also Home built in desert locations also use tile because trees were just harder to get as opposed to the northern United States where Katie is from. Thia is a great series. Thank you!
I have a farm girl to Chicago background. The house in Arkansas requires a unique buyer. The large amount of land and out buildings require additional maintenance and property taxes. I would not want this house unless I wanted the lifestyle that comes with it.
Last house (906k) vs same sized (695K) also lacks the VERY BIG DEAL lot of the 695k house. The latter is waterfront. Unless I'm mistaken, the 906k house was not. That means the 695K house was probably selling at a premium, and a non-waterfront similar house would have sold for far less.... maybe even 100k depending on location.
Dang! $580 for a big gorgeous home like that with all that land and big kitchen?! I’m living in the wrong area. I can’t find anything that nice for that low of a price here. That house would be $1 million where I’m at, which to me is way overpriced.
Many homes in Arkansas use tile. It is really humid in parts of the state and tile is a much easier option than wood. As always, great video and thanks for sharing.
Humid in south Louisiana, too, maybe more. People here are now using luxury vinyl plank, which wasn't available and in style 5 years ago when I put in ceramic tile in kitchen and baths.
There's a home in my area that's been on the market for 80 days. Beautiful photos of the furniture. Couldn't tell you if it's over priced because not a single photo shows a room in its entirety. Seems as though they hired a furniture catalog photographer rather than a real estate photographer.
I agree 100% with your assessments, Katie. The laundry room pic conveys the idea that there isn’t enough storage in the cabinets. This storage unit would be better located in the garage, at least for pics.
Great video! You mentioned staging for house #2, but also if only the first house's agent had called in a great occupied-home stager before listing.... would have taken care of SO many of those decor, accessory, prepacking/editing and update deterrents!
I do love the fact that the first house was not boring white. But even I have to admit that they need to paint some of those walls just to make people considerate.
We just sold our home in a short amount of time and a fairly high price compared to comparable homes in the area . I believe 2 of the things that made it work were the staging I did myself and the photos online. My furniture is oversized and dated, but I did my best with what I had. The walk through 3D video was professionally done and was amazing
@Carolyn-vh4nz I don't know the cost because my listing agent paid for it out of his commission. It should be included in the contract. I just know it is the best walk through video I've seen.
In central Florida, it’s not uncommon to have laundry hook ups in the garage. My son is an amateur mechanic and when he was looking for a home, the most important photo was of the laundry room. He didn’t have time to waste going to look at homes with laundry in the garage. That laundry room photo confirms it’s in the house and so sometimes it actually will draw a buyer in. He’s probably in the minority, but he has always said, “I’m buying a garage that comes with a house attached”.
The first home had several issues I see a lot with homes which aren’t selling: strong red rooms/ walls, religious artifacts, dated wood tones, tiled floors, strong colors, etc. The house looks like „ work.“ A bit of paint and a LVP floating floor in that kitchen would help A TON. Staining those cabinets and stair railings a bit darker (or lightening them) would be relatively inexpensive and move it into the present. An table as an island would help too! That’s about 1/3 of it right there. The second home: I’d redo the shower and paint the wood on the tub after shellacking. It will make it blend with the wall better rather than stand out. Also I’m not a fan of painted trim but that trim is undersized and unnecessarily date that living room. So yes I’d paint it the wall color. Remove the drapery rod and tie backs (or paint to match the wall). It looks weird and highlights the lack of curtains. The third house needs staged! And lower the price to $799K!
I like that TN home, but yeah, way too much. They've lowered the asking price again. A lot of the houses in that area look high. What's the draw to that town? It isn't close to the major cities. why are the asking prices so high?
It's hard to know the full story without knowing what the surrounding area is like. For example, we have a beautiful area with beautiful homes that they built a speedway very close to. Ruined home values in this formerly quiet, peaceful area. Sure, price would make a difference there too. But analyzing the interior pictures won't tell the buyer the real reason.
Realtors need to stop with those grainy weird color pictures. You can't see the homes clearly - or it that the point? When I see those manipulations, my finger can't click off them quick enough. I also don't like the wide angle pictures as those are nothing but lies. What else are they trying to hide and lie about? If the room is small, then be honest and show it as it is.
I am not buying a house hopefully ever again. But sometimes I go online and look. One thing I’ve noticed is I’ve looked at the listings for houses that I’m actually familiar with and the house is totally different than the picture that is painted by the listing. When my dad listed his house, I had trouble actually even recognizing it in the listing. So there’s a lot of tricks they use to fool people. You have to go see the house in person to really know what it’s like.
I was looking at the price per square footage of the Tennessee houses. The first one -- $906,000 was $155.54 per sf, the second one (smaller comp) was $197.93 per sf, and the 3rd one that seemed really nice was $127.50 per sf. Interesting. The second one may have been really nice inside. I don't think we saw pictures. Maybe the $906k house is just too much for the area, plus they need to do some updating. The first house in Arkansas, if they would invest some paint in that house, even maybe the kitchen cabinets, would seem to make a world of difference.
The first home you indicated that it came with property, how much property? The only reference to land I saw was that an additional 20 acres was available* for purchase.
The second home, Where in TN? If this was located in Brentwood, it would have already sold at that price and with those pictures. If in Murfreesboro, it’s priced too high. My sister bought a home there two years ago so I’m very familiar with the area and prices. Also, what county? schools are a big deal and in TN it makes a huge difference.
Really enjoyed this vid. I have seen quite a few listings over 700 days old. Most were very high out of the gate an I could tell the seller wouldn’t lower the price. You are absolutely right after that happens it seems that as costs mount like utilities property tax etc it becomes more painful to drop the price and I have seen some listings go to foreclosure. Such a shame but you are right the listing was too high or the picture are not right. Trash pictures walls partially painted etc. 🤢
Where we live, we would definitely go to an open house if we saw it had a laundry room 😂 It’s kind of a luxury here. Also, there is a house we’ve avoided because of wood trim in a house. Wood paneling would make us avoid a house too.
I noticed a house about 15 miles from my town for a great price. I had business near there that day, so I drove by to see it. There was a Doggy Daycare and foster site in front of the house! To access the nice house, you had to drive next to a dog yard that had pit bulls and other large dogs that had killed all the grass. No one wants to live next to one barking dog, but a dozen or more barking dogs? No way.
2nd house. First pic has no wow factor at all. For almost a million, I look at the house and think, two neighbors right on top of you. I almost wondered, is this a guest house of one of the other houses?
They aren't buying the furniture or carpet so WHY mention it? Stop making people think a USED home should LOOK NEW! Its making it impossible to live in a home while selling it. Remind people that the home comes empty and has been lived in - to get out of that "model home" frame of mind. give people credit for having brains.
If you want to sell, either you update the house to get a top dollar, or you sell for cheap to those who have brains and experience to see the potential.
A lot of people don't have imagination. I am sure that if you showed the same house with several different styles/furnishings inside, people's opinions about the house would be different for each one.
We toured and quickly ran out of an old home in the 90s. They were living in it, kids running around, sofas piled with stuff, dark, very uninviting, and I was a poor kid who wanted out of our dank apartment at the time. If I got scared, what do you think your Whole Foods millennial would do? It was also badly priced, and that sent us to the better staged homes. So, the bad advice is "relax, list as is, and don't worry." Of course, a landlord would still love to negotiate hard and buy it, so I dunno if you are making a case on behalf of poor landlords out there.😮
For a fancy big house (second house), having no privacy in the kitchen would be a big NO for me. It is kind of expected in the city centre or a modestly priced house/appartment, but it should not be here. They would be better off removing that window. Plus, the potential buyer base for a 6 bedroom/4 bathrooms must not be that big. Lot of family are 4 people.
Why paint wood? Wood gives a home warmth. Might as well slap up cheapo plastic if you're just going to paint over it. Again with pushing staging. I can't stand staging. Let me see all the house so I know staging isn't hiding a repair job. I'm not so dumb as to not being able to imagine my own furniture in it. Staging with a baby grand piano, LOL? No, that isn't most people's ideal home even if it sold.
Young buyers hate carpet. Too bad they can't think ahead to having kids who have falls. Carpet might just save a trip to the ER. Senior citizens might like moping over vacuuming carpet, but again, a cushioned fall vs. a hard fall? Then there are rugs which are tripping hazards.
@@triciaknox7824 I have a mix of wood floors and carpeting. One of my neighbors has the same floor plan as my house but he has hardwood flooring throughout. He told me that he regrets not having some carpeting because his house is very noisy.
That first house nothing goes together. The colors, the furniture, anything. That red rug is horrible, they threw in oriental furniture. The second house is really nice, but the outside does not match the inside. Zero landscaping/no curb appeal. I''m not into painting wood trim, you're better off just replacing it. The bathrooms are horrible. For almost a million I can see why it's not selling. The market in the south is at the beginning stages of a crash/increasing inventory.
You seem to be indicating that sellers have to follow whatever is trendy. The problem with this is that today's trendy is tomorrow's dated. Yes, go neutral, maybe switch out 1990s polished brass cabinet pulls. But to expect sellers to change out all their doorknobs and hinges because oil-rubbed bronze is out and brushed gold is in, or to refinish the perfectly beautiful hardwood floors because two years ago darker floors were in and now decorators are saying lighter floors are in, is a fool's errand. My area had a housing boom in the early 2000s and a good portion of the "newer" housing stock has those damn soaker tubs that no one uses anymore. Every time I see a house I say "I would want to take that out and expand the shower." And yet the house may still be priced fairly. It's just not reasonable to expect a seller to spend tens of thousands of dollars on gewgaws because something is trendy now.
"Dated" You hear that all the time on these shows. What it really means is "spend money on new stuff even though what's there is perfectly fine."
I loved that first house. I would change some of the colors, but nobody’s gonna buy that for the house, they’re gonna buy it for the land and the outbuildings in the property.
Warm wood tones with cool/cold gray carpet or walls is an icky eyeball hit. Pick a temperature and unify!
Everyone in TN has their home way overpriced. They better find an out of state buyer, because none of us would pay that much for that house with close neighbors with no land. If it has an HOA they can forget it.
Suggestion for finding the best neutral paint for your hard finishes like tile floors and counters: I love Marie Killiam's neutral color wheel system for finding undertones. If you notice she uses many of the same colors that Katie's says photograph well. Highly recommend her YT channel "color rescue." Marie also has a great series of videos on timeless design which echos Katie's thoughts on up grades that sell. She answeres the question which white is the right white to paint my kitchen cabinets? It might be a greet interview for Katie to talk to Marie. Also, for those of us who live in sub tropical and tropical climates, moisture proof is very important. also Home built in desert locations also use tile because trees were just harder to get as opposed to the northern United States where Katie is from. Thia is a great series. Thank you!
I have a farm girl to Chicago background. The house in Arkansas requires a unique buyer. The large amount of land and out buildings require additional maintenance and property taxes. I would not want this house unless I wanted the lifestyle that comes with it.
Last house (906k) vs same sized (695K) also lacks the VERY BIG DEAL lot of the 695k house. The latter is waterfront. Unless I'm mistaken, the 906k house was not. That means the 695K house was probably selling at a premium, and a non-waterfront similar house would have sold for far less.... maybe even 100k depending on location.
Dang! $580 for a big gorgeous home like that with all that land and big kitchen?! I’m living in the wrong area. I can’t find anything that nice for that low of a price here. That house would be $1 million where I’m at, which to me is way overpriced.
Many homes in Arkansas use tile. It is really humid in parts of the state and tile is a much easier option than wood. As always, great video and thanks for sharing.
Humid in south Louisiana, too, maybe more. People here are now using luxury vinyl plank, which wasn't available and in style 5 years ago when I put in ceramic tile in kitchen and baths.
That first house had some...interesting...decor
There's a home in my area that's been on the market for 80 days. Beautiful photos of the furniture. Couldn't tell you if it's over priced because not a single photo shows a room in its entirety. Seems as though they hired a furniture catalog photographer rather than a real estate photographer.
Overpriced
I agree 100% with your assessments, Katie. The laundry room pic conveys the idea that there isn’t enough storage in the cabinets. This storage unit would be better located in the garage, at least for pics.
Great video! You mentioned staging for house #2, but also if only the first house's agent had called in a great occupied-home stager before listing.... would have taken care of SO many of those decor, accessory, prepacking/editing and update deterrents!
Would love to see more videos like these. Very interesting.
Love it when you show pictures 👍🏼
I do love the fact that the first house was not boring white. But even I have to admit that they need to paint some of those walls just to make people considerate.
I just saw a listing that had a picture of the lilies. Like a closeup of flowers...lol
And a picture of just a door...ok....lol
🤣
My "favourite" from last week was one photo of half of the front of the house, and a second of cropped photo of the laundry room. And nothing else o.O
We just sold our home in a short amount of time and a fairly high price compared to comparable homes in the area . I believe 2 of the things that made it work were the staging I did myself and the photos online. My furniture is oversized and dated, but I did my best with what I had. The walk through 3D video was professionally done and was amazing
How much did the walkthrough 3D video cost?
@Carolyn-vh4nz I don't know the cost because my listing agent paid for it out of his commission. It should be included in the contract. I just know it is the best walk through video I've seen.
In central Florida, it’s not uncommon to have laundry hook ups in the garage. My son is an amateur mechanic and when he was looking for a home, the most important photo was of the laundry room. He didn’t have time to waste going to look at homes with laundry in the garage. That laundry room photo confirms it’s in the house and so sometimes it actually will draw a buyer in. He’s probably in the minority, but he has always said, “I’m buying a garage that comes with a house attached”.
The first home had several issues I see a lot with homes which aren’t selling: strong red rooms/ walls, religious artifacts, dated wood tones, tiled floors, strong colors, etc.
The house looks like „ work.“
A bit of paint and a LVP floating floor in that kitchen would help A TON.
Staining those cabinets and stair railings a bit darker (or lightening them) would be relatively inexpensive and move it into the present. An table as an island would help too!
That’s about 1/3 of it right there.
The second home: I’d redo the shower and paint the wood on the tub after shellacking. It will make it blend with the wall better rather than stand out.
Also I’m not a fan of painted trim but that trim is undersized and unnecessarily date that living room. So yes I’d paint it the wall color. Remove the drapery rod and tie backs (or paint to match the wall).
It looks weird and highlights the lack of curtains.
The third house needs staged! And lower the price to $799K!
Always happy to see a new video Katie. Great tips as always!
Yeah i agree on the second house. If you are expecting to sell for close to a million, you can afford a few grand to stage.
Absolutely, staging can really make a difference in showcasing the home’s potential. It’s a smart investment when aiming for that million-dollar mark!
I like that TN home, but yeah, way too much. They've lowered the asking price again. A lot of the houses in that area look high. What's the draw to that town? It isn't close to the major cities. why are the asking prices so high?
First house tells me the seller works for Sherwin Williams.
It's hard to know the full story without knowing what the surrounding area is like. For example, we have a beautiful area with beautiful homes that they built a speedway very close to. Ruined home values in this formerly quiet, peaceful area. Sure, price would make a difference there too. But analyzing the interior pictures won't tell the buyer the real reason.
yes, I've been househunting and seen beautiful homes right next to airports, huge schools, commercial strip malls... that was a quick NO for us.
Realtors need to stop with those grainy weird color pictures. You can't see the homes clearly - or it that the point? When I see those manipulations, my finger can't click off them quick enough. I also don't like the wide angle pictures as those are nothing but lies. What else are they trying to hide and lie about? If the room is small, then be honest and show it as it is.
I am not buying a house hopefully ever again. But sometimes I go online and look. One thing I’ve noticed is I’ve looked at the listings for houses that I’m actually familiar with and the house is totally different than the picture that is painted by the listing. When my dad listed his house, I had trouble actually even recognizing it in the listing. So there’s a lot of tricks they use to fool people. You have to go see the house in person to really know what it’s like.
First houses tub would need to be on your hands and knees to enter and exit
That first house reminds me of my aunt and uncles home, a lot of eastern furniture. They wisely staged it though and stored all that stuff elsewhere.
I was looking at the price per square footage of the Tennessee houses. The first one -- $906,000 was $155.54 per sf, the second one (smaller comp) was $197.93 per sf, and the 3rd one that seemed really nice was $127.50 per sf. Interesting. The second one may have been really nice inside. I don't think we saw pictures. Maybe the $906k house is just too much for the area, plus they need to do some updating. The first house in Arkansas, if they would invest some paint in that house, even maybe the kitchen cabinets, would seem to make a world of difference.
The first home you indicated that it came with property, how much property? The only reference to land I saw was that an additional 20 acres was available* for purchase.
The second home, Where in TN? If this was located in Brentwood, it would have already sold at that price and with those pictures. If in Murfreesboro, it’s priced too high. My sister bought a home there two years ago so I’m very familiar with the area and prices. Also, what county? schools are a big deal and in TN it makes a huge difference.
Really enjoyed this vid. I have seen quite a few listings over 700 days old. Most were very high out of the gate an I could tell the seller wouldn’t lower the price. You are absolutely right after that happens it seems that as costs mount like utilities property tax etc it becomes more painful to drop the price and I have seen some listings go to foreclosure. Such a shame but you are right the listing was too high or the picture are not right. Trash pictures walls partially painted etc. 🤢
I think house 2 is beautiful
Where we live, we would definitely go to an open house if we saw it had a laundry room 😂 It’s kind of a luxury here. Also, there is a house we’ve avoided because of wood trim in a house. Wood paneling would make us avoid a house too.
I noticed a house about 15 miles from my town for a great price. I had business near there that day, so I drove by to see it. There was a Doggy Daycare and foster site in front of the house! To access the nice house, you had to drive next to a dog yard that had pit bulls and other large dogs that had killed all the grass. No one wants to live next to one barking dog, but a dozen or more barking dogs? No way.
So many variables that can't be known that this is an exercise in futility.
Well, the first problem is the price range. There’s not a lot of people running around that can afford homes in that price range.
None of these sellers are motivated, so you'll never get them to accept a fair price.
2nd house. First pic has no wow factor at all. For almost a million, I look at the house and think, two neighbors right on top of you. I almost wondered, is this a guest house of one of the other houses?
Fantastic video. Very informative.
Thanks!!
They aren't buying the furniture or carpet so WHY mention it? Stop making people think a USED home should LOOK NEW! Its making it impossible to live in a home while selling it. Remind people that the home comes empty and has been lived in - to get out of that "model home" frame of mind. give people credit for having brains.
If you want to sell, either you update the house to get a top dollar, or you sell for cheap to those who have brains and experience to see the potential.
A lot of people don't have imagination. I am sure that if you showed the same house with several different styles/furnishings inside, people's opinions about the house would be different for each one.
We toured and quickly ran out of an old home in the 90s. They were living in it, kids running around, sofas piled with stuff, dark, very uninviting, and I was a poor kid who wanted out of our dank apartment at the time. If I got scared, what do you think your Whole Foods millennial would do? It was also badly priced, and that sent us to the better staged homes.
So, the bad advice is "relax, list as is, and don't worry." Of course, a landlord would still love to negotiate hard and buy it, so I dunno if you are making a case on behalf of poor landlords out there.😮
There are ways you can live in the home while listing it. There will be blogs out there telling you how to do it.
Why don’t we pitch in 50/50 on the renovation as a draw against your commission. And watch that list shrink.
I’d take that with a good return on my 50%
We never use a tub.
$580,000 wouldn't buy you a two bedroom condo in SF. Or a studio in NYC!
So far, to me they just seem overpriced for their market. Arkansas and Tennessee are not California.
For a fancy big house (second house), having no privacy in the kitchen would be a big NO for me. It is kind of expected in the city centre or a modestly priced house/appartment, but it should not be here. They would be better off removing that window. Plus, the potential buyer base for a 6 bedroom/4 bathrooms must not be that big. Lot of family are 4 people.
Why paint wood? Wood gives a home warmth. Might as well slap up cheapo plastic if you're just going to paint over it.
Again with pushing staging. I can't stand staging. Let me see all the house so I know staging isn't hiding a repair job. I'm not so dumb as to not being able to imagine my own furniture in it. Staging with a baby grand piano, LOL? No, that isn't most people's ideal home even if it sold.
Privacy in the kitchen? I don't really understand that in the city, and this is a rural house.
Tile throughout or carpet? Which do buyers prefer?
LVP in common areas, carpet in bedrooms but LVP throughout is best.
Young buyers hate carpet. Too bad they can't think ahead to having kids who have falls. Carpet might just save a trip to the ER. Senior citizens might like moping over vacuuming carpet, but again, a cushioned fall vs. a hard fall? Then there are rugs which are tripping hazards.
Neither. Wood floors 👍
@@allalala9916 I won't buy a house with LVP.... unless I'm willing to renovate and then the price has to reflect that.
@@triciaknox7824 I have a mix of wood floors and carpeting. One of my neighbors has the same floor plan as my house but he has hardwood flooring throughout. He told me that he regrets not having some carpeting because his house is very noisy.
That first house nothing goes together. The colors, the furniture, anything. That red rug is horrible, they threw in oriental furniture. The second house is really nice, but the outside does not match the inside. Zero landscaping/no curb appeal. I''m not into painting wood trim, you're better off just replacing it. The bathrooms are horrible. For almost a million I can see why it's not selling. The market in the south is at the beginning stages of a crash/increasing inventory.
If I have a framed photo of Tom Brady above my bed, doe that count as "religious"?
That’s funny. Maybe!!
Sorry, you lost me at $500,000 being your base line.
That first house is hideous on top of being in a red state. You couldn't pay me to live there
We could say the same about living in a high crime blue state.
@@MGMidget73 except you would be lying. The statistics don't
Bless your heart dear. Be proud of your open bigotry - never hide it.
@@lauralaforge558 that's rich coming from someone defending the party endorsed by the KKK but, hey- If you like it, I love it