Homes Are Alot Like People...
...TLC, a healthy diet and even a little surgery may be required! As a former nurse, I have come to learn the commonalities that Charlotte real estate shares with patients--they really do have a lot in common. No anesthesia is required for the treatments necessary to remedy the home aging process though! As homeowners, however, we may need a little anesthesia when we receive the maintenance bills if we don’t stay on top of our home's aging process right from the beginning.
1. Homes get wrinkles, too. Yes, believe it or not, I’ve seen Charlotte homes for sale with sagging plaster, drooping windows and hanging doors. Brand new “For Sale” signs sit out front, their clean, white sparkle starkly contrasting with the wrinkles. It’s not attractive; the homes may be only ten years old (30 in house years!), but they look much older. Be kind to your home – use a little cosmetic surgery when necessary.
2. There ARE cosmetic surgeons available for homes. Only, in home-speak, they’re called “contractors.” If you notice that your home has wrinkles and you want to sell it, see what replacements you can afford to have the contractor handle for you before putting your home on the market. Windows? They’re reasonably affordable on most budgets and can make a huge difference in how the house looks. Hanging doors? Not as affordable as windows, but still doable. With $10,000 or less, you can give your home a major facelift.
3. Homes do get tired too. Have you looked around your house lately? This is one of the first things you want to do before putting it on the Charlotte real estate market. Is your home tired and worn out? Even relatively young homes can show signs of energy-deficiency. Cabinets start sagging. Doors groan and sigh when you open them. Windows refuse to stay open all the way and slowly slide back down in the tracks. Give your home an energy boost. Even a little WD-40 can make a huge difference, especially on groaning doors. If we’re talking about groaning garage doors, a $5. can of silicone spray can do wonders (and should be used about once a year to keep them youthful).
4. Homes can go bald and get age spots. It’s true, they can. What used to be a bright red roof has faded and peeled in places, giving the home an “aged” look. The real kicker is, to keep it bright and pretty, you have to maintain it, dye it or replace it. Keep the overhanging oak trees trimmed back to avoid the age-spotting sap from necessitating early hair plugging! Take care of your home’s head!
5. Homes need TLC too. To stay happy and healthy, homes need tender loving care too. With a steady diet of maintenance, touchups and cosmetic surgery, your house will be happy and you will be able to find a good buyer too!
If you’re selling your home, make sure it stands proud above the rest—youthful, despite its age!
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Debe Maxwell, CRS/Realtor®/Broker
Broker@TheCharlotteScoop.com
Phone (704) 491-3310
Debe,
You had me with the wrinkles.... :) Seriously, we all know that an updated home will always show and thus sell much quicker. I love your analogy. I wonder if WD-40 would work for me? LOL!
That is a great post Debe. Funny how you tie it all together. Thanks for sharing.
You are so right ma'am just like people homes do need TLC. This is the first time I have looked at it like that tho.
Great analogies here Debe! Luckily my house doesn't suffer from these maladies, but I've seen many that do.
Debe, how very well put. I just purchased a home that we're having to give it a facelift, tummy tuck and probably a gastro-bypass! :)
Debe, well stated! I love all the analogies...thanks and have a wonderful week!
Lori: HA! Funny but, I'm in need of some WD-40 too--those knees especially!
Dan: Glad you got a good Tuesday morning laugh!
Don: It takes a nurse to see this! LOL
Craig: You know, mine doesn't either--that's why I like to buy new homes, live in them before they age too terribly bad and move on! (Don't do the same with people though! LOL)
Connie: My house is newer but, it could go for a gastric bypass though--my fault: everything is a 'cherishable' to me! I need to purge!
Kristin: Thanks! Like Connie said, I could have added a few more analogies too! Love the gastric partitioning one--the hoarders that could use that one!
Love the top photo! Sometimes we all feel like that! Great analogies - lots of giggles! Thanks!
Debe, the parallels are appropriate. Nip and Tuck for Real Estate 101. I can relate so well especially after getting stung by a couple of bees while doing the lawn last night
Debe, tooo funny, I, too, love the analogies!
Very nicely done. I wonder if there is a correlation between owners physical maintenance and the maintenance of the house...Guess not as I have seen some very nice houses that were estate sales!
Debe, A great Post! Houses do age, just like we do. Have a Great Week!
Hi Debe,
Great analogies !!!
Oh my Debe I love the analogies. Deferred maintenance can cause more than just a headache, they can cause major surgery.
Yes, homes are like people. And sometimes, the only recourse is a good funeral director!
Debe, this may be your best blog ever. I love how you use your past career to make a real estate point. My home is not for sale but I have a contractor over there right now doing some "cosmetic surgery". She's 12 years old and beginning to show her age. Now, me, on the other hand....hmmm.
Debe, great post full of fun and ideas and the comments are the icing! Thanks! ~ Susan
Love the analogy! I feel like I need a little face lift myself!
Debe, Very creative! I loved it!!
This was a fun post to read. It made me smile and laugh a little! Thanks! Have a great day!
Great post... Interesting...
Great post and oh it is soooo true! I love it!
Too funny, love the pics! Nice work here.
Great post...
Love the anologies.
=))
Debe,
That is so cool. Even if you did not say it before, I know that you are not a stranger to the medical field.
A wonderful post. One that could help Sellers.
They look at it and see it 20 years younger. But everyone else see it the way it is.
And do not want to marry the poor guy. At least for that money ;-)
This is why my homes get the botox treatments with homestaging...LOL
Debe ... ha ha ha , I LOVE this!!!! What a great analogy, thank you for sharing this! pippa
This is too funny! I am feeling like an old dilapidated home this past week.....I am looking for a good contractor......
Debe- what a terrific analogy. Just because a house is old it can still have a young attitude.....just like people. Some great tips.
Dagny: Thanks! Glad I could make you giggle this Tuesday morning!
Ed: Funny but, I was going to title this Nip Tuck for RE!
Rebecca: Thanks so much!
Gary: HA! You know, most of the time you can spot those ill-maintained homes a mile away--just look at the interior too!
John: Thanks! Yes, they do!
Robert: Thank you!
Martha: Thanks! And, yes, they can certainly necessitate more work in the end if not maintained properly along the way--just like us!
Richard: LOL You're SOOO right about that one!
Marian: Well, thank you dear! I'm forever having work done to mine too--don't know that I would ever go the cosmetic surgery route but, I could sure use a bit myself!! LOL
Thanks, Susan! I love the comments too!
Catherine: Great big DITTO from Charlotte!
Jose: Thanks--glad you did!
Chris: Thanks--glad I could make you laugh this moring!
Stephanie: Thank you.
Jim: Thanks! Hope you're doing well! I need to pop over and see how you're doing!
Lane: Thanks! I love the bald guy shot!
Jon: Thank you and you're SO right! It's funny that when you take sellers out to view their competition, some of them STILL see theirs as the best. It just goes to show that we DO become emotionally attached to our homes!
Hi Cherise: I love the Botox analogy! GREAT!
Pippa! Thanks and glad you liked it! Did you get my email? Check your junk mail!
Stephanie: HA! Same here--don't know if it's the weather or my age but, I'm feeling the same way! Don't know that I'd go the contractor (aka plastic surgeon) route or not--at least not just yet!!
Ellie: You're so right! I see many old, historic homes that have been kept quite young by homeowners who are truly on top of each and every maintenance issue that arises.
Debe: Funny and true.... really love the bald example. LOL
Debe - great post and congrats on the feature! Homes do need TLC and you have provided some great analogies here.
Great Post!!!
We are so much like a house. As with humans a house needs people to take care of it, or it will fall apart. I have seen houses that are in need of serious work, sometimes the owners are looking like their house. We all, including houses, require maintenance so that "we" can last a little longer.
Good job, Debe.
Debe:
This post is a work of art! I continue to be amazed by you each and every day. Quality content just keeps on coming!
Debe great comparisons, very amusing. I also like Richards remark #16.."Some homes could use a funeral director", it gave me a hardy laugh. Our consumers are not realizing that keeping their homes up to snuff makes the neighborhood look good as well as being cost effective. I agree that it doesn't take much to whip a home into shape and it can be done a little at a time. Love the post, well done.
Ann
That is a great post and I especially enjoyed your relating the nursing aspects to real estate. It is one of the best I have heard so far! I hope you are enjoying real estate.
Debe,
Wonderful analogy, love how you related the needs of a home to people. Wishing you continued success.
Debe - Cool post and love the analogies... Nip and tuck... funny one...
Kat: I hope you're well! I love the bald guy too! ;-)
Sharon: Thanks dear! Did I tell you I love your new doo?! (I know I did but, it's just SO cute!)
Thomas: Thanks so much! I've seen a few that are in serious need too! Great news for the surgeons contractors!
Aaron: You're SO sweet! You stop by my blog ANYtime! ;-)
Ann: Thanks! And, I love Richard's comment too--and it's SO true!
Barbie: Thank you! And, YES, I LOVE Real Estate!! About once a year, I miss the hospital--but, for the most part, I can't complain at all.
Ron & Alexandra: Thanks so much! Best wishes to you as well!
Bob: Thanks! Nip Tuck for RE was going to be my original title but, I worried that someone may have already used that one!
Ah yes, deferred maintenance. Goes a long way . . .
A fresh coat of paint and a little elbow grease go a long way to making a house look ten times better than it did before.
Debe,
I liked your analogies and how you related them to your personal experience in the medical field. Great post!
Great analogy! I think my home and I need a nip-tuck.
Good one Debe! But then I wouldn't expect anything less...
Debe
Homes need face lifts, well put.
Good luck and success.
Lou Ludwig
Terrific post. Great way to tie in a former career with a present one. You are 100% correct about the squeaky doors, I get so used to hearing them that I forget they actually need something done.
Ha! I enjoyed the read today, as always Debe. It's a darn good analogy..We all get old and need some revamping from time to time. I'd love to go have some surgery done, on my house too!
Later,
Patricia/Seacoast NH
Debe, great post. Be careful with the bald comments. Luckily mine is thinning in the back so I don'tt see it.
Debe most of the homes we are making offers on are suffering from deferred maintenance. Biggest investment of most peoples life and they don't take care of them. I just don't understand.
And, of course, we should not do too much cosmetic surgery lest the new suitors prefer a more lived-in home with a more natural look. Let's do just enough to make it welcoming. Great analogy, Deb.
Deb, Great Post, it is amazing if we take the time to think . how things are mixed together
Debe, Great post! Jane's post makes sense to me...too much is just too much!
Debe:
I love this. If you are a former nurse - you are a saint, I am sure.
Houses, like people, need maintenance and TLC. I wonder if there is Botox for houses...
Nice post Debe! Congrats on the feature. Those are great reminders about the importance of home maintenance. Sellers can also now take advantage of "Move In Certified" Seller Home Inspections as a great advantage to their marketing strategy.
:-) Cute post Debe.. another well deserved feature!
Nothing like a little botox paint to make a face house shine.
I just read your post re-blogged on Rebecca Gaujot's - you're so creative and love your analogies while sharing great tips.
Cute, Debe! Love the metaphor.
Great points Debe. Pride of home ownership shows in every aspect of the house. For those who do not get to settle down we are merely caretakers for the next owners. A home is like a family member or pet and needs lots of attention along the way. ~ Doug
What a clever post and so true! Houses are like people!
Debe, you are so perceptive--what a great analogy. This is such good information for sellers and in a language they may better understand.
Carla: I don't defer it much at all on my home but, I surely do on my person!! I used to be so obsessive but, where my 'me' time went, I'll never know!!
Morgan: It surely does! It's funny but, recently I got listing docs signed on a beautiful home that just needed a little de-cluttering and a BIG cleaning job! I got the cleaning crew in there after the de-cluttering was done but, I didn't see it until all was complete. I knew it needed the work but, when I went back to put the sign in the yard, I was amazed at what a little cleaning had done for the place!
Eugene: Thanks--I went from the frying pan to the fire, didn't I?!
Linda: Thank you! Home's okay...me, that's another story!
Evelyn: Hey! How ARE you? Thanks for stoppig by and for the kind words too!
Lou: Thanks! Right back at 'cha!
MS Woods: Thank you! I do the same thing and when you put your home on the market, you really do sometimes need someone to point out those things that you've grown accustomed to, don't you?!
Patricia: Hey! Thanks for reading! I'm in need of some revamping too! Maybe we could make a 'girls' week out of it! LOL
Ted: Thanks--Hey, I have nothing against bald--bald is beautiful!!
John: LOL It seems we're seeing more of those these days, aren't we? I don't understand it either--some people just don't realize the importance.
Jane: HA! Love YOUR analogy! I'm personally all about the natural look too--plus it's too much work for us! And, I've seen some that have had WAY too much! LOL
Ken: Thank you! Oh, there are more where these came from! Botox, nip/tuck, lifts, gastric partitioning and even funeral for a friend!
Deborah: Thanks and I love the too much photo!! That IS too much!
Claudette: Thanks but, I am no saint! Just ask Ray! LOL
David: Thank you so much! I love those move-in certified homes! Had one who had a mold issue just today--seems that they didn't get that awesome certification!!
Greg: Thanks, dahling!
Missy: So true--both ways!
Lee & Carol: Thank you so much! Thought I'd bring a little spice to real estate! LOL
Pat: Thank you! Thought it was fitting (following a tough inspection for a buyer)!
Doug: Thank you! I agree--we ARE caregivers for the next owners and it amazes me that many people don't think of it that way. Even if we plan to retire in the home--aren't we giving it to our children? Don't we want it in perfect condition for them?
Sharon: Thank you! Yes, they are!
Tammie: Thanks! Hopefully it will help a few sellers--and buyers too, in the long run!
Debe, I love this post. Definitely a re-blog. Thanks.
Wow, that Too Much Photo is too much. What the heck happened to her? Did she really face lift her face lift, or whatever? I guess it goes to your point, houses can be "overimproved" as well.
Giving a home the TLC it needs BEFORE you put it on the market will likely mean fewer price reductions later. Great post!
At this time, I'm in a lot better shape than my home. I can take care of myself, thanks. My home, however, will not. Got to get busy and run that vacume, clean those windows, etc., etc.
Soon as the weather is less than fabulous and I can't get out to play.
I like the photos that you found to go with your descriptions. Homes certainly do need some TLC.
Fun. Doesn't it make you wonder what some agents are thinking and if their brokers have a clue?
$500,000 plus house with a $30 sign that looks like it was used to patch a roof at the Clampets.
I help agents and ownerslower property taxes which helps buyers make a decision in a falling market.
Craig in Georgia
How True! Houses need to show their true beauty. The best always shines through with TLC.
Great post
That is very good detail to the what we do every day, finding the needed corrections that require TLC!
Nice cute post. So my house looks like me, a little too big and something always breaking. My kids are tearing it/me apart.
Debe: I love the way you presented the info! Great job. Carrie
This is a funny post, but true... Nothing like a well kept body. In a house and in a person. It is difficult to play catch up if you let things go too much. The best advice for folks is to keep the place up.. all the time... Just like a body this really does not require a huge amount of effort or money..
Dealing with historic homes, I find that they are the grande dames of housing for sure. Some even have bats in the belfry. Gotta sweep them outta my hair!
So when my friend said my front porch was looking a little tired lately, was she talking about me or my house :)
You are so right! Homes have feeling too. You know what is going on in them from the moment you walk in. We will want to make sure it's positive. Nice way to present the "tired home" principal to a seller too! Thanks!
Debe, Being a former RN, I can relate to this well deserved featured post! My definition of TLC +tons of liquid cash. Some of us and our listings are in need of a bit of TLC.
You can relate the creaking of the floors and stairs to the sounds coming from other's knees!
You are a delight!
Margaret
Many sellers "get" this message as they are putting their homes on the market. Better they'd gotten it as a closing gift when they purchased the home!
Thanks for putting it so well Debe.
Hi Debe, I love this analogy! I was commenting the other day on a very expensive clay tile roof, I should have thought of it as a lovely head of hair! LOL Congratulations on this feature, we all need to care for our homes so that they keep their youthful appearance as long as possible.
My home needs some sunscreen!
Nice flow to th post. it reminded me when I first started reading comics and how much fun they were. Thank you DEBE........
Hello Debe and some great work putting this post together, would you like to write some posts to my photographs some time?
VB ;-)
Very cute!
Very cute post Debe! I wonder if older homeowners prefer older homes for this reason!:)
Hi Debe. I just came across this blog. I am not sure how I missed it, since it's such a lovely blog. I tried to re-blog it, but I see that it has been re-bogged 15 times already. It's so true what you say in your blog and I love the way you say it. You just have a way with that keyboard.
If sellers do all the above that you suggested and stage their home, their house will be completely ready for the market.
Grasshopper
;-D
Great Idea!
Makes a lot of sense.
Great blog!
Very cool post! A great way to emphasize the importance of home maintenance. Love it!
Joan Inglis, Master Accredited Staging Professional
www.LakeWylieHomeStaging.com
. Homes can go bald and get age spots.
HEY!!
Hey! If the shoe fits...jk! My mother's father was bald as long as I knew him--I always thought he was THE most handsome man in the world. Ray keeps complaining about his receeding hairline and I say, Bring it ON! I love it!
I've always thought bald is beautiful--except when we're talking about the roof on a house!! LOL
Debe, Ha ha ha....this was great! What a great spin on a boring subject. You made it enjoyable. Way to go sis!
Debe, Ha ha ha....this was great! What a great spin on a boring subject. You made it enjoyable. Way to go sis!
GREAT blog Debe! My favorite part was; "make sure it stands proud above the rest - youthful, despite its age!"
I bought an 1875 Victorian house with plans to flip it. After a few years of renovations I put the house on the market this past July. Since then I have heard wonderful compliments such as; "it's the most prominent home in town" and when they find out the age or are shown the photo from the Historical Society of the house under construction it's nice to hear how beautiful it is and what great shape the house is in for a 125+ year old house. "It doesn't even look its age."
You made excellent points Debe, if people make it a priority to take care of their home like they should take care of their own health their home with take care of them.
Just plain fun imagery. We learn a lot about upkeep in Southern California ; )