Magazines, TV shows, blogs and your neighborhood realtors’ newsletters are all full of good ideas on how to influence people to buy your house. What you don’t see as much are the magazines, TV shows, blogs and your neighborhood realtors’ newsletters full of good ideas on how to avoid that influence if you’re the buyer.
Buying a house is a difficult, confusing, time consuming task, and none of us want to make a bad choice. Here are some suggestions to combat realtors and sellers attempts to sway you.
Smell
Sellers are encouraged to bake cookies, burn candles and use deodorizers to cover up unpleasant smells (mold, animal, dirty/musty, teenage boy, etc). They’re also used to distract from nearby outside smells (farms, factories, neighbors’ kennels, sewage, etc).
Don’t be affected. The chocolate chip smell doesn’t mean you’re in your cozy childhood home, and that wonderful cinnamon/vanilla candle combination might be masking the cat odor in the carpet. If you’re serious about a house ask for “no smelly stuff” when you schedule your 2nd visit and go sniffing through it.
Fresh paint
Sometimes fresh paint is covering old or unattractive paint and sometimes it’s covering mold and water damage. From the attic to the basement water damage is a fairly common problem in Northeastern Ohio houses; it would be wise to look for it.
Was the entire bedroom ceiling painted or just certain spots (roof leak)? Has the whole dining room been freshened up or just the wall under the upstairs shower? Are the freshly painted outside basement walls covering up big problems?
Look for discolorations in suspicious areas. Water stains and mold can bleed through paint. You may be able to see faint outlines if you’re looking for them. In addition to looking, feel for texture differences.
Water damage can weaken the drywall, changing the texture and making it soft to the touch. Does it give or feel mushy if you press it? Does it look different from the surrounding areas? Does the odd colored area on the outside basement wall feel moister or cooler (possible water) than another? Ask the realtor about the spots and bring them to the attention of your inspector.
Creating the Dream
“Imagine your family eating together in this large, airy kitchen.” “The basement is perfect for that man cave your husband wants.” “Oh no, the house isn’t too big. You can turn that extra room into your own private office.”
Good realtors understand how to get you emotionally invested in a house. Some will greet you at the door of a house saying, “Welcome home.” Hopefully, your realtor will help you keep your feet firmly on the ground — just remember they’re trying to sell you something.
But, ultimately it’s up to you to look out for your best interests. Falling in love with a house may sound romantic and seem necessary, but it can cause poor judgment. Dreams are nice, except when they lead to buying a lemon.
Watch the TV shows and read the articles through an unemotional buyer’s eyes. They come close to saying, “Assume the buyer is clueless and can be tricked with candles, staging, neutral paint, natural light and emotional manipulation.” Buyers beware indeed.
Nicole Abbott is a professional writer who’s had over 200 articles published. She’s a business consultant and former psycho-therapist with over 20 years of experience in mental health, business and addiction. She’s a coach, lecturer, trainer and facilitator. She has conducted over 200 workshops, trainings, presentations, seminars and college classes.
