TV Shows That Help Sellers & Buyers
There are many shows on cable and satellite television that can help both buyers and sellers during real estate transactions. We are currently in a “buyers’ market” and that means there are fewer buyers out there for each property that’s for sale. In a buyers' market it is critical that a seller's home is priced right and looks its best so that your outcome will be a positive one! On many of the following shows you will see some of the mistakes that buyers and sellers make that can cost them dearly. People who listen to their REALTORs® have a better chance of success. After all, this is what real estate professionals do every day, and their ultimate goal is to help sell a property in such a way that it is a win-win situation for sellers AND buyers. While there are no guarantees in this business, there is a lot you can do to help yourself as you move through the home buying or selling process. Check your local TV schedules for times and days when these shows appear. Be aware that Home and Garden Television (HGTV) now offer many of their shows at their website. So instead of checking the TV Guide to see when they are on at 3 in the morning, you can also watch them at anytime on your computers. Check this out at their site at: http://www.hgtv.com/full-episodes/package/index.html
Home and Garden Television (HGTV) on Bright House Cable - Channel 57**
BUY ME - This is definitely one of my favorite programs! It follows the sales of homes from the listing contracts to the closings. Often the real estate agent will suggest a price and ways to make a home look more attractive. Sometimes the owners follow the recommendations of the agent, and sometimes they do not. What was a little strange was that on at least two occasions, the listing agents were actually the sellers' mothers, and the sellers still disregarded their advice! The results can be quite different depending on the choices the sellers made. I remember one episode where an owner refused to fix a seriously huge crack in the foundation and just kicked clothing under a bed. She was then surprised when she received no acceptable offers. In another, the sellers decided they could do a better job of selling their home than a professional could. At the end of a year, they were still sitting on the steps of their home that had not yet sold.
This show is produced in Quebec, Canada. There they rely heavily on open houses. This is not the same here in Florida. For the most part open houses do not work here, except in very special circumstances. I have done several, and usually you get one or two "Looky Lous" that come around, often curious neighbors. That is about the only difference I can see between what is portrayed in this series and what occurs here locally. The other events, good and bad, are very typical around the US.
Lesson: Homes that are priced correctly and make a good first impression have a better chance of selling quickly and for a better price. Often buyers decide in just the first 30 seconds whether a home is, or is not, for them! First impressions are VERY important! You may think your home is extra special, but the big question is "What do the buyers think?"
GET IT SOLD - In this show sellers who have had their home on the market for several months with no offers bring in an expert stager who tours the home and then helps them stage it to make it more attractive to buyers. Often these are low or no cost improvements. I often suspect that the sellers' own agents have advised them to do the same things, but the sellers chose to ignore their advice. Once the inspection is over the sellers' agents then discuss with the owners whether or not the price they are asking is within the norms of the current market in their neighborhood. Often it is not. They show other comparable properties that are the competition for the subject home and discuss ways the show's sellers can give their home an "edge" over the rest. Sellers can learn from the mistakes of this show's participants and perhaps improve their own property's appeal. And as a result sell it quicker and at a better price in the long run. This program is worth several viewings.
THE UNSELLABLES - On this show a seller wants to sell a home. But for some reason, it is just languishing on the market. A real estate staging expert comes in to evaluate what the problem could be. More often than not, it is the price, based on the way the home shows. They take a look at some of the comparable properties that are for sale nearby, just like buyers in any market area will do. They show how for less money a buyer can get a nicer home, or at least one that is more attractive. Then the owners and the expert work together to get the target home into selling condition and/or modify the price so it can give the other homes in the area a "run for their money". Sometimes the changes do not cost all that much. Something as simple as taking furniture out of the home and putting them into storage will make a BIG difference. How much does cleaning your kitchen cost? Not much, but it can earn you hundreds if not thousands of dollars!
As I have said hundreds of times on this site and others, if the neighbors are selling the same or better home for less money, you do not stand much of a chance of selling yours anytime soon. Of course you think your home is special, warts and all. But the buyers DO NOT! This show may help you change your perception of your home, your goals, and what you need to do to make things happen.
GOOD BUY, BAD BUY? - Though this newer show is aimed mostly at buyers, sellers can learn what experts are saying make a home more attractive to potential buyers. So you sellers can learn a trick or two as well. On the show buyers visit two homes with an agent and a home decorator/stager. With their goals in mind they all evaluate the homes they are seeing, the positives and the negatives. At the end of each segment, the experts tell the buyers which home they believe to be the best buy. Then they reveal whether or not the buyers agreed and bought the home the experts recommended, or went the other way. In the end, in any home transaction, it is the buyers' choice. But, if you have an expert working with you, think once, twice and then sleep on it, before you tell them they are nuts and go against their advice. They are there to help you. So take a look at this program and see what you can learn from them.
THE STAGERS - Often a home can be priced right, have a great location, be clean, and STILL not sell. Why? Sometimes it has to do with staging. This is basically another way of saying decorating. But staging's main goal is to sell a home, while decorating is mainly aimed at creating a specific space for a particular family to live in based on their personal tastes, not those of the general public. Professional stagers know how to depersonalize a home and make it appealing to a broad audience. How often I have taken buyers to a beautiful home, only to find it jam packed with several different styles of furniture, too much furniture, personal mementoes in every nook and cranny, etc. Instead of being able to imagine themselves living there, the potential buyers feel like they are intruding on someone's home. If they cannot get beyond this perception, they will likely not consider buying that property. So watch this show and see what you can learn to make your home more appealing to buyers. An experienced REALTOR can also advise you. You would do well to listen to their advice.
MY HOUSE IS WORTH WHAT? - This show involves opinions of home value by real estate professionals around the country. They tend to concentrate on improvements done by the owners, not just on natural appreciation of the home over a period of time. Its benefit to home sellers is that it shows you which home improvements add value and which ones do not. This will vary from place to place of course. In a "high end" area of the south the addition of a pool and spa could be worth the investment. In a northern subdivision of 2 bedroom/1 bath basic homes, it would be unlikely that you could recover the costs you would spend on the pool. Whether you are making improvements for your own enjoyment over the years or to increase the property's value, this program can help you make informed decisions as to where you can best spend your budget.
Curb Appeal - If the exterior of your home is in poor shape, potential buyers may not even get in the front door. Don't laugh. On more than one occasion I have taken buyers around to see homes, and when we pulled up in front of a home that needed a paint job, some LIVE plants instead of the dead ones, a clean driveway, and a well-manicured lawn, they politely but firmly told me to drive on. They had no interest in seeing the rest of the property. Just as "the clothes make the man", or so they say, the exterior of your home can give buyers either a positive or negative impression of what may lie inside. This show can give you some practical and economical ways to improve the first impression that you home makes from the street. Never dismiss the importance of this aspect of your home. It could be a deciding factor for buyers.
Secrets That Sell - In this show a daughter and mother real estate team descend on a home to find out why it is not selling. Like other shows, they go through the home with the owners and point out what will get buyers excited and what will send them running for the exits. Cleaning out clutter, depersonalizing the home, clarifying the purpose of each room, and rearranging furniture to make rooms look larger are some of their goals. They also review the pricing of the home to make sure that the asking price is reasonable. Sellers often list the home at what they WANT or NEED. These two concepts have nothing to do with what the true market value is. The true market price is determined by what comparable homes have recently sold for in the neighborhood. In some cases these two ladies have to deliver the blunt news that a repositioning of the price to a more realistic amount is necessary in order to get the home sold. This program is definitely a "must see" for sellers! Informative and entertaining.
DESIGNED TO SELL - On this program sellers receive tips from experts that help them improve the looks of their homes for minimal investments. Making your home look desirable does not necessarily have to cost a lot of money. A little “elbow grease” may be involved, but for sellers who are willing to make an effort the payoff can mean thousands of dollars of profits. And who cannot use that extra money nowadays?
HOUSE HUNTERS - Home buyers are featured in this program. Sellers are never seen. However, you will see what excites buyers and what turns them off, ie rooms that are too full of furniture and look smaller than they are, dirt and clutter, outdated fixtures, etc. Their comments can give you some insights and help you prioritize the things you need to do to prepare your home for showings.
HOUSE DETECTIVES - We often recommend that home buyers get a professional inspection done on any home they are considering buying. On this show you can follow an inspector as he/she examines a variety of homes pointing out the flaws that could stop a sale dead in its tracks. Some problems will be minor and some will be more serious. Though each inspector has his or her own way of doing things, most certified inspectors have specific items that they must inspect. These procedures are required by the organizations that have certified the inspectors. You may want to be proactive and take care of some of the items ahead of time that are likely to turn up on an inspector’s report, and thus avoid last minute renegotiations, or in a worst case scenario, a total cancelation of your purchase contract.
If you would like to visit the Home and Garden Television webpage for more information about home issues, just: CLICK HERE If you would like to see some full episodes of the above shows on your home computer, just click on this link: WATCH FULL EPISODES and choose the shows you want to watch.
The Learning Channel (TLC) on Bright House Cable - Channel 48**
PROPERTY LADDER - This show is more for “home flippers”, those investors who buyer fixer-upper homes, make improvements, and then try to sell them for a quick profit. A real estate professional advises them as to what they should do and then checks in on them from time-to-time to see their progress, or lack of it. You can see which improvements will give you a good return, and which will result in a loss. Again, those sellers who listen to the real estate professionals do well, while those that do not often end up losing money and being frustrated.
FLIP THAT HOUSE - This show is similar to the last one and also deals with “house flippers”. As with many of the other shows it lets you see what buyers are looking for when they shop for a new residence. Sellers are well advised to note what gets buyers interested, and what turns them off. It can make the difference of selling quickly and for the highest possible price.
Arts & Entertainment Channel (A&E) on Bright House Cable - Channel 46**
SELL THIS HOUSE - They feature homes on this show that have been on the market a LONG time. To determine why, they have an open house with cameras hidden around the home. Then they play back what the prospective buyers are saying about the home when the sellers are not there. I often hear similar remarks when I am out with potential buyers. When the video is played for the sellers, they are often shocked and do not agree. This often happens because they like the way the home is since it is set up according to their personal tastes. Sometimes they resist making changes. However, sellers need to remember a very important fact: They should try to stage their homes to look attractive to new owners, not create a place where they themselves are going to live. A bright color of paint on a wall may be exactly what you love about a room, but it may be the one thing that turns an otherwise interested buyer away from your home. You will be moving soon. So is it really important that a room remain purple? Or would $25 worth of paint and living with white walls for a short time be worth it if you could sell quicker and for more money? Sellers lose money every day over just this type of issue. This show can give you some inexpensive ideas that you can use to improve the showing value of your home.
** The channel numbers given are for Bright House Cable. These channels are also available on Dish Network Satellite and Direct TV Satellite. Check your TV Guide or the local newspaper’s television listings to find out which channel numbers carry these particular channels in your area. The shows are often repeated several times during any week. However, these times can change. Check your local listing guide for exact schedules. As I also mentioned above, many of these shows are offered on the channels' websites. Both full episodes and shorter hint videos. Do a Yahoo or Google search for the channel you are interested in, and you can probably find what you are looking for. They also offer a lot of ideas and hints there that can help sellers, buyers, and homeowners in general. HGTV's site is found at: www.hgtv.com
© John Elwell - September 2006, 2009