After 26 years in the real estate market here in the Greater Raleigh area, I have always found it interesting to see different patterns develop in home buyers and sellers. One of the many patterns I have learned to recognize is that buyers tend to shop for a home a lot differently than sellers may think.
Buyers come in all price ranges and seek a wide variety of housing options and amenities. There are so many choices in the market that buyers shop to eliminate instead of buy. Here is what commonly happens in our market:
Home Buyers Want To Eliminate Each House They View Rather Than Choose It.
Sounds odd…..here is how it works:
Today’s buyer has a lot of choices, and therefore will look at as many houses as their house hunting time will allow. As they view each house they look for reasons to eliminate it from their list. They may feel the house needs too much work, appears to be too small, or maybe they don’t like the 
seller’s choice in wallpaper or paint. Even if the house is a good fit for their family and the reason for elimination is an easy fix, they have a tendency to remove it from their list and continue their search for the “Perfect House,” the one where they don’t have to do anything but turn the key to their new home.
As a professional REALTOR, part of my job is to “help my seller’s home become easier to buy instead of being eliminated.” Staging the house in a way that is bright, cheerful and inviting will help keep it on the buyer’s list. It is not that hard to identify potential items a buyer may find as a reason to eliminate the house. You should listen closely to the advice of your agent and/or stager, for they have the past experience to know what is objectionable and what is not.
If you have any questions, or would like a referral to a good home stager, feel free to give me a call at 919-235-0007.
I hope that you have a great weekend,
Linda