I wish I grew up in this house
I have mixed feelings about a “happy” house. In some ways, it is good for buyers to see one or two. But it is easy for buyers to get swept up by one and make a big mistake.
First, I’ll define it: A “happy” house is one that affects a would-be buyer personally. The buyer walks in and thinks, “if I lived here, I would be happy.”
Now, an example: In a period a couple of weeks I saw two houses of the same construction period both in need of renovation.
When I walked into the first one,
I saw: original (ugly) cabinets, a small kitchen, paneling, shag carpet, original windows, original bathrooms, old-style wall paper, original boiler and electric panel.
My clients saw: open floor plan, great lot and great light.
My buyers and I could “feel” that a happy life was lived in this house. The house was clean and clutter free, but it wasn’t sterile. The seller was still living there with stuff he wanted around him. The decorating upgrades were done during that terrible period when paneling and shag carpet and smoky mirrors were in, but the family room had coherence. I could image the party going on there in 1972. My clients felt it, too; I turned around and they were smiling.
The other house needed less renovation, but it was empty and the updates were neutral and generic. The floor plan, lot, and light were similar. But the affect was cold and unappealing. A buyer could see the potential of the property, but there was no visceral reaction.
What made the difference?
After years of seeing this, I think the truly happy houses have space that worked for the current owners. The well-worn path of a functional, happy life rings true for the potential next owners, even with green shag carpet. In addition, seeing the space clean and uncluttered but with personal touches adds to the effect.
Some of this can be manipulated. That’s why agents bake cookies and bread and light scented candles. That’s why staging is so big. I find their attempts to recreate this feeling generally fail.
To finish my story about the happy house and my clients: They walked out of this house wanting it. After we went through the laundry list of work they would need to do, they decided this was not their future home. They could not possibly afford to bring this house into the twenty-first century. They were somewhat disappointed, but moved on.
What happy houses have you seen while house hunting?
Can you resist them? Did you not resist them and make one your own?
