3 Things Buyers Want

by Debbie Correale

Being in the Interior Redesign and Home Staging business is an ever changing field and requires that we stay on top of the latest trends in style, décor, and purchasing requests.  The goal is to make a house as appealing as possible so that the first impression that a buyer develops from a home is a positive one.  Sellers have only 7-10 seconds for that first impression to be determined.

With the arrival of spring and the 2014 home selling season, I decided to check in with my colleague, Liz Facenda of RE/MAX Preferred, to get a read on the latest trends that buyers are looking for when purchasing a home.  As she has first-hand experience selling homes, I asked her to detail the top three things that buyers request and this is what she had to say:

1. A large eat in, remodeled kitchen that opens up into the family room.  We all know when entertaining; everyone gravitates to the kitchen.
2. A finished basement or “man cave”.  I frequently come across buyers that have a large, flat screen TV and need a place to hang it.
3. A home office, preferably on the first floor. 

Buyers today are experiencing a shortage of housing inventory, competing with multiple offers and escalation clauses are being used frequently.

What is an “escalation clause” you may be asking.  I did some research and found this great excerpt from Realtor.com:

What Is an Escalation Clause?

An escalation clause is a real estate contract, sometimes called an escalator, that lets a home buyer say “I will pay x price for this home, but if the seller receives another offer that’s higher than mine, I’m willing to increase my offer to y price.”  In theory, an escalation clause is fairly simple. In practice, there are a lot of details involved.

For more information on how escalation clauses work, click here.  If you are planning to sell your home this year, contact Debbie@RedesignRight.com for a home staging evaluation to maximize the earning potential on your home sale!  To learn more about home staging, click here to read how it can help in selling your home.

Contact Liz Facenda of RE/MAX Preferred with any home buying or selling needs 610-563-8828.

Debbie Correale is founder and owner of Redesign Right, LLC. You can learn more about her at www.RedesignRight.com. Find her on Facebook.com/RedesignRight, Twitter @RedesignRight, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Houzz and Google+.