Things I wish homeowners would stop doing

• Putting Master Bedrooms in the lower level. In this age of Baby Boomers, Extreme Sports & War Veterans, knees & hips are looking for the ease of main floor bedrooms & baths. And I’m not going to start on the spiders.
• Improving their homes beyond what’s happening in the marketplace (& expecting it to pay off immediately). Enjoy your home. Really. But don’t expect everyone else to. It’s like buying a $5,000 wedding dress, having it tailored to your exact proportions & expecting someone to buy it from you at a profit, after the wedding.
• Putting permeable flooring in basements or other places prone to moisture accumulation. We had this discussion about carpet in the bathroom or kitchen. You won’t even smell the mold until you come home from vacation & find “home sweet home” isn’t.
• Smoking. You know it isn’t good for you. It isn’t good for your house either. It gets into the popcorn on the ceiling & creates a film on the windows. Go wash one & see. I’ll wait.
• (see, I waited)
• Ignoring maintenance. If your house is too expensive to maintain, sell it now. I hate to say it, but not taking care of stuff will not make it more valuable next year.
• Keeping stuff they really want to get rid of. Putting it in the basement won’t make it easier sort. It just means you will need a bigger dumpster later.

The energy in a well kept, well designed & well loved home is so attractive that it has a special value.  Those are the properties that I love to show Buyers!