HGTV “Show Ready” Your Home For Sale- Yes or No?

by | Jan 13, 2020 | Selling Your Home | 0 comments

Shiplap

 

No Joanna, Not Everything Needs Shiplap!!

 As a Realtor I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with HGTV.  LOVE the ideas, HATE the pressure it puts on home owners trying to sell.

 

Move this wall, paint everything white and add shiplap!!  If you have heard this or have wanted to do this I know you have watched a few episodes of Fixer Upper on HGTV.  As a Realtor I have a love/hate relationship with this show and many others that deal with real estate and fixing up homes.
I LOVE all of the ideas you can gather from these shows.  They have some great design tips, creative and inexpensive DIY ideas and great examples of staging homes for sale.  They usually make the homes look very warm and inviting.  I imagine myself having people over for dinner on those long Farm Tables with the perfectly placed fun flower display in the middle. 

But I must point out that these “Realty TV Shows” are anything but real life.  If you are thinking about buying a fixer upper consider my thoughts in my previous blog: Do You Want a Fixer Upper?

I HATE what these shows have done to the process of looking at homes with potential buyers.  Since these shows have become such a success I have seen a difference in what buyers expect.  A large majority of buyers expect homes to look like the “after” picture on these shows.  The perfect wall colors with updated kitchen and baths- MOVE IN READY!

 

Buyers cringe when we walk into a home that has paint colors they don’t like, over stuffed closets and clutter.  I understand walls can be painted and all of the seller’s belongings will be gone, but a large number of buyers can’t actually look at a space and “See” it differently than how it currently looks.

This is what my house looked like when we first saw it. We were able to look past how it looked with all of the seller’s stuff and the outdated colors and carpet. If you want to learn more about our remodeling project check out this: The Little House On The Channel- Remodeling

I can’t blame HGTV for the buyer’s inability to see the space differently.  But I can be unhappy that the beautiful clutter free homes (probably not realistic) they portray on their shows has increased the pressure on my sellers.

What is my point with all of this?

 To sell your home you must de-clutter, clean the closets and most likely paint out bold, bright or odd colors.  You must Stage it.  I don’t mean you have to drag in different furniture, but you may have to use your current furniture in a different way.  For A complete list of ideas on how to get your home HGTV ready check out my website here: Get Your Home Market Ready!

Enjoy the shows on HGTV, glean ideas from them, put in some hard work and you will be surprised at how “Show Ready” you can make your 
home. 

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