Nobody really likes changes,
especially if you're trying to sell a house.
So what we have to do is tell people
to sell a house you have to spend money
to make money, and that's the last--
And that's the part they don't get.
They hate it, and I always tell people
from a life philosophy, keep your house great
for yourself to live in it.
And that way, when you go to sell it,
you actually don't have to make everything--
If everything is perfectly maintained all the time,
it's a much easier process when you go to sell it, right?
It's an easy process, it doesn't need change.
But a lot of people just don't know that concept, and
we have to change a lot to get it sold.
Is that the largest mistake that people make
when they're trying to sell?
Is they simply don't listen,
they don't want to hear what they need to do.
There's two big mistakes people make.
One is price, people tend to always think
their house is worth a lot more than it is.
They always think they have the best house
in the best street and they always give reasons why.
And the second thing it's just not preparing the house
the way it needs to be.
People don't think about that.
So a lot of times houses are dirty,
they're cluttered, they're not--
Clutter is a big one, isn't it?
A person has to be able to see themselves in this space.
Not you and your entire life in that space, right?
And you said it exactly the way I would say
which is in order to sell a house
a buyer needs to feel really comfortable and
see themselves in it, wanna sit down, wanna relax and
want their family there.
And if it's too specific, if it's too cluttered,
if it doesn't feel clean, if it feels like--
They can't get that mental picture that's so necessary.
Exactly, and that makes for a very difficult sale.
Alex your house has been on the market for
you said what, a year and a half?
A year and a half.
A year and a half, and do you feel
that you've been doing all the right things?
I thought I was I love my house.
My friends love our house.
So either I have very generous friends--
Is this your home here?
Yes, that's my house.
Wow, it's a nice house.
It looks beautiful.
I do see some challenges off the top.
But it looks beautiful.
(laughing)
I think it looks beautiful.
The thing I always tell people is
you can love your house and
your friends can love your house.
But if you're not buying your own house, and
if your friends aren't writing you a check,
it means nothing.
Let's start with your living room.
We want buyers to wanna sit down, and
feel comfortable in your house.
So when I look at your picture,
I'm looking at a couch that
there's really nothing to sit on.
I mean, there's no ways to look but you know,
you're not looking at the other person.
It doesn't make you feel warm, it doesn't want...
you don't want to just relax in this face.
And it feels a little cluttered.
The first picture looks like
you're taking it from the wrong angle,
it looks a little bit small.
So when you combine all these things together,
you have a first impression, right?
And I always tell people, if a buyer sits down on a couch,
there's a good chance they're gonna buy your house.
And I think you lost that moment there.
So what should she do?
She should put more sitting across from it or something.
I would like to see a different design.
I would like to see maybe two small couches,
where they're both side by side where people could entertain
where people can talk, and maybe a little bit
smaller scale furniture so it makes the room feel bigger.
Scale sells houses, so you always just want to remember
how does my house, how's it viewed, you want it to feel big,
you want it to feel airy, and you want that space to flow.
Is it color, is it the white?
No, white is great because people like that neutral color.
And that's actually what sells houses.
So you were on track with that,
you were off track with placement of furniture.
This is your dining room.
This is where I feel like we have some problematic points.
The color is nice, but again, a dark color in a small room
makes it feel small.
And it's very specific.
So if somebody doesn't like blue,
you just eliminated a large pool of buyer.
Furniture feels very heavy in this dining room.
These brown chairs feel a little dated and
very heavy for the space.
We always recommend light furniture, that neutral tone.
I would certainly go lighter on that.
And so let's just eliminate these chairs completely.
You have a lot of furniture going on in this room.
You have this old antique piece,
you also have a piece here, it's a lot.
In smaller spaces you don't need to have so much furniture
cause the less you--
Yeah, if you love it, put it in storage but for now,
lighten it up--
By the way we love storage.
Storage is good for selling houses.
So I think these two pieces are a little much,
we'd want to get rid of one of those.
And then the pictures you have here are lovely,
but they are a little bit competing.
You have a lot of colors going on.
You kind of want to get a thematic, easy flow going
so a buyer can imagine that that's them living in the space.
And I think it's just very specific and a lot going on.
So let's try to simplify, whiten.
I would say get new chairs,
get rid of some furniture and you should be on track.
Okay.
We'll do one more Pick one more
Oh no, I'm scared.
This room's a disaster.
Everything needs to go I'm scared.
If I walked in I would walk right out of your house.
Buyers are gonna hate this room.
Get rid of the wallpaper, paint the wood white.
This is a very piece of furniture.
It doesn't go with the theme of your house
She doesn't even like that room, she's like
"Oh God not that room"
(cloud applauds)
Good luck Alex, let us know.
Aaron thank you so much.
(cloud applauds)