Do buyers take into consideration how messy a home is?

[monica]

Hey guys, my listing agent was too busy to cover this weekend's open house, so he had a friend who's also an agent cover it for him. It was very nice and helpful of this other agent to tell me that the apartment was messy and smelly for the open house.

That being said, why is he taking photos of my apartment, and the inside of my refrigerator? I feel that's very intrusive and inappropriate. Please let me know if this is standard behavior when showing apartments.

Thanks,
Monica

[aslan]

Oh man! So sorry you had to experience that. I think he was just trying to be helpful but if I were his principal broker I'd certainly reprimand him.

If it's unwarranted, then no it's not normal to open the refrigerator. Unless of course an eccentric client opens it. You never know with some people.

To be fair, it might be a fair thing to look at if the buyer is concerned about vermin or roaches. In which case the cleanliness of the previous owner does matter.

[monica]

Thanks for the reply.

I don't want to get him in trouble, so not looking for him to be reprimanded. Maybe it's a misunderstanding on his part of what his role is, or what is culturally acceptable here. It's very strange to me that he even opened the refrigerator, much less take a photo of the contents.

I understand a buyer wanting to know if the apartment has a working refrigerator, but do people actually complain about a messy refrigerator when they're looking at apartments to buy? They're buying the space, not my grocery organizing ability, right?

[aslan]

You’re absolutely right, usually what’s in the fridge shouldn’t be a consideration and most buyers will overlook it.

My guess is that one of open house visitors was looking into it. You never know with some people.

With that said, if a home is especially dirty, messy or smelly then the sale process will be adversely affected. Not only will a poor condition affect the perception of the home, it could turn off potential buyers who are afraid of vermin or roach infestations. Definitely not something that will enhance your re-sale value.

If I were you, I'd just hire a cleaner and thoroughly clean up your place before the next open house. Don't worry about the fridge. If the place is sparkling clean and decluttered, buyers will be less likely to inspect your fridge anyway :-)

[Guest]

Yes, Normally buyers take into consideration what the apartment looks like.