Today’s real estate buyer is a shopper and has in mind exactly what they are looking for in a home, therefore your duty as a seller is to make sure your home is precisely the home of their dreams. Buyers today are interested in simplifying their lives and want a home that reflects this as well. They are looking for clean, stream lined homes, with the basic necessities, nothing that screams that the seller went overboard. They want a home that is an excellent investment and a good value. A good value to a buyer means that they will be firm negotiators and will try to get more bang for their buck. Buyers are known to ask for the moon, and appreciate incentives in which sellers offer such as paying closing costs, crediting a buyer at closing for certain repairs and even a paint allowance. They are not interested in fixer uppers, as most buyers in today’s market just don’t have the money to shell out in making major repairs or tackling huge remodeling projects; they want a house to be move in ready and in superior condition.

Buyers can also be pretty picky. They don’t want to see a home that is cluttered with an explosion of furniture and personal belongings. Homes that are seething with excess stuff make it impossible for a buyer to envision themselves and their belongings within the home. Decluttering, depersonalizing, and detaching yourself from your home makes them see it as the potential of it being their home. Buyers also know the importance of nature and are environmentally conscious, and want to see additional living spaces outside such as patios and decks, outdoor kitchens and living rooms. In addition to this, today’s buyer is a ‘green’ buyer and wants appliances such as washers, dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers, HVAC units and windows that are energy efficient. These buyers are economical, savvy and quite practical.

Family is important to the buyer of today even more so than ever and nothing brings a family together more than food. Kitchens are high on the list of important features of a home, and the more open and inviting it is the better. Kitchens that are made as ‘part’ of the home meaning without dividing walls or barriers allow for the kitchen to flow throughout the rest of the home which create a sense of gathering. It’s important what elements and materials are used in the kitchen as well, such as what substance was used for the countertops; was it granite, stone, tile or an application to resemble terra cotta. They like the unique and the unusual, as well as elements that look like one material, but are really another.

Bigger is not always better. Small is in and pretentious is out. Not only is it difficult for buyers to qualify for larger homes, but they are seeing that having a smaller place to call home is more practical. There is less to clean, less energy that is used in smaller homes, and it’s easier to furnish homes that are not on a grande scale.