Keep your ear to the ground or listen to the feedback from your listing agent after a showing and you might hear things like, “They wanted newer appliances” or “For the money they were just expecting some more updating - like newer carpeting, granite countertops …” and at this point your automatic reaction might be to start tuning out; suddenly everything you are hearing is in slow mo’ and sounds like the teacher from the Peanuts cartoon.

“Carpeting … granite countertops … mwah mwah mwah mwah.”

Time to start listening and switch from tune out to tune in, autosave and replay. What buyers want is your top priority to get your house sold. No, they won’t pay those 7-11 prices in many places anymore, but make no mistake, a convenience store lifestyle is what a home buyer wants … dig?

“Sellers are asking for more advice now, especially if they haven’t sold in awhile, they want to make sure they understand the complications,” Valarie Thompson, Connect2Agent member and real estate agent in Knoxville, shared with me. Clean isn’t good enough to sell a house anymore. Home buyers want newer appliances and minimal need for improvements.

“Real estate buyers are so busy with life in general. They want to walk through the door of their new home and go on living,” Thompson informed me.

Real estate buyers are looking at listings online to see what they like and what they don’t like. They view virtual tours and multiple photos of houses. If they don’t want to be bothered yet, the Internet allows them the anonymity to peruse houses and house prices in their desired location. Real estate sellers need to have their house accessible online for these window shoppers.

And they need to have it ready to go for serious home buyers.

In Knoxville, prices are down and it’s taking a little longer than the past couple years to sell property. The houses less than $200,000 are moving the quickest. Coupled with low interest rates and incentives, it’s like a candy store has opened for first-time home buyers.

There are still buyers in Knoxville. Thompson closed on a house a few weeks ago where the buyer was able to get 100 percent financing through a local credit union. This home buyer had an excellent credit rating and a good job. ”It was a smooth situation,” she said.

Sellers who are successful in Knoxville these days are motivated to sell. As Thompson says, “Sellers need to listen. Why would a buyer want to pay $300,000 and put in new countertops, appliances and other standard upgrades?” Today’s real estate buyer gives a whole new meaning to real estate - yesterday’s “nice to haves” are today’s “have to haves.”

A convenience store lifestyle is what a home buyer wants … dig?

Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson

Tags: Connect2Agent, Knoxville real estate, knoxville real estate agents, selling a house

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 at 6:00 am and is filed under Seller Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.