Transitional bathroom design that is a sure hit with buyers. A sleek freestanding tub replaces the oversized corner tub from the 90’s

 How HGTV is screwing up the sale of your house – The way real estate was sold 10 or 20 years ago has changed in many aspects. Buyers used to drive around looking for for sale signs or scouted the classified section in the local newspaper. They had to rely on a local real estate agent for information on recent sales and available properties. These days are truly over and todays buyers are informed and demanding. The millennial generation has learned to do their own research online, they know exactly what is going on in the marketplace. Websites like trulia or Zillow had educated them on how much your house is worth. Realtor.com and dozens and perhaps hundreds of other sites show them what is on the market right now. They know school ratings, they know which restaurants are located in walking distance of their favorite neighborhood and they now exactly how many minutes they have to commute to work from your house. They know the going interest rates and have received competing loan offers from different banks. The new breed of Buyers are informed about every aspect of the real estate purchase. They even know how your house should look like. At least in their mind.

Dual vanities for a shared bathroom are a hit with buyers.

“Why?” You ask. The real estate interested buyer has seen on countless TV shows on channels like HGTV, DIY Network and a half dozen others what an army of contractors, designers, and stagers do to properties to make them more salable. They are willing to pay a good price for their next home but they know exactly what they want. They want updated floor plans. They want nice upgraded features. They look for granite counters, stainless steel appliances, nice wood floors, updated light fixtures and most of all a designers vision of what the property could look like. They want to be wowed, they want to be impressed. They have seen dozens of homes on TV that look like a million dollars, and some that are actually worth much more than a million dollars. You, as a potential home seller, are not only competing with your neighbors who are selling their homes, you are competing with the vision buyers have on how their new home should look like. They have seen bathrooms they like, they have seen kitchens to die for, and they already have a laundry list of items they are searching for. Unfortunately the faded wallpaper from the time your house was built did not make that list; Nor does the worn laminate countertops or the beige carpet in your living room. If your house looks in the buyers mind anything less than perfect they will not make an offer or at least deduct a considerable amount of money on the price they are willing to pay for the property. If you do not create a vision on how the property should look like and how buyers would see themselves living in the house your chances of a sale drop significantly. The new generation is all about individuality and the expression of their lifestyle. It is a generation that is used to have instant gratification. It is not the generation that saved up for a decade or two to buy a house. They want it now! They don’t want to go through a long drawn out process of renovating a house but rather have a turn key property ready to move in. Buyers today have certain expectations in life. They have an idea how their lifestyle should be, and how their house will help them achieve that goal. They have a vision that they look to make a reality. They have seen it on TV. The endless shows of fixer uppers, flipping, decorating and contracting might not have schooled them on how to achieve the results themselves, but it certainly has taught them what they are looking for in your house. If you are hoping for a top dollar sales price you better ‘up’ the game and get ready to deliver. You should seriously consider having a design professional on your team. Remember, your buyers are listening to professional designers for years.