subject: Create Interest In Your Home Buy Remodeling It [print this page] From time to time I get calls from buyers who want to come over to see and buy my house before I've completed all the remodeling and cleaning projects. It seems like I always have a couple houses in the process of being remodeled, so this scenario happens somewhat regularly. My remodels might involve new carpet, paint, and light fixture replacement, but sometimes my crew goes in and moves walls, too. As a consequence of all this remodeling, there are usually several pickup trucks parked in the driveway of the house, which makes the neighbors curious. And it makes their friends curious, too. And that curiosity can be a very good thing because curiosity seekers stop by to take a look inside the house.
All my construction crews know they must ask people to give me a call and come back when they have an appointment with me if they want to buy my house. Now, I must say that some people are very determined and although most curiosity seekers will leave the house at that point, some are incredibly determined to be the first ones in the neighborhood to see the house. As a result, I developed a plan to deal with those people who are super-eager to see and buy my house.
I make an appointment to meet with them and before we go inside, while we're still on the porch or even the sidewalk I say to them, "If you really want to buy my house today the price will be a little bit lower. But it also means my crews will remove all their tools and all the trash, but you will have to do everything else. You're buying it As-Is. If you wait until all the work is done and your appraiser can seeit completed in order for you to get a loan, then my asking price is firm." That way, everybody knows the project is not completed and since I have to invest more money, they will have to pay more, too.
My point is that showing an unfinished house is a risk because most people can't envision how it will look after completion. For those buyers who insist on signing a contract prior to completion, I require that they buy it As-Is, or occasionally I require them to inspect it again when it's complete. Nobody likes a misunderstanding, so I take precautions to avoid conflicts with the people who buy my house.
