Cute N. Oak Cliff Tudor Marred By Cosmetic Blemishes

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home problems and solutionsSometimes, a darling home comes on the market and its potential is marred by cosmetic problems, poor staging, and too much clutter.

Our Tuesday Two Hundred is just such a house. This North Oak Cliff Tudor is a three-bedroom, two-bath home with 1,410 square feet, built in 1924. From the outside, it’s cute as a button, and the interior has so much promise. But as you’ll see in the photos, there are numerous problems with the listing. It’s undoubtedly one of the reasons it was just reduced $10K (it is now listed for $249,000).

If you add up the cost of staging (generally 1 to 2 percent of list price) and the cosmetic fixes, it would likely ring in under that amount, in my opinion. Listing a house with these kind of issues is like throwing money out the window.

 

home problems and solutions

home problems and solutions

This home has a lot going for it: vintage Tudor charms, new roof in 2016, original fireplace, beautiful front door with a circular glass window, new hot water heater and AC compressor, two bathrooms, a one-car garage (rare in 1920’s homes), and a fabulous North Oak Cliff location close to Bishop Arts and Davis Street businesses.

But it has a lot working against it, too: worn hardwood floors; bare walls; empty curtain rods; dated furniture stuck randomly in rooms; large, empty spaces; bright wall colors in the kitchen, one bedroom, and a bathroom; a cluttered backyard; and cracked tile in the kitchen, where you’ll also find dated laminate counters and more clutter.

It’s hard for buyers to see past these things, even though they are all cosmetic problems that would not take all that much time to fix (and like I said before, probably cost less than the $10K markdown in list price). Staging is so important, too. This sweet cottage would benefit greatly from staging, too. Can’t you imagine a cozy seating area in that front room around the fireplace? And a charming dining set nearby? The master could look positively divine with the right bedroom set.

If you’d like to see the listing photos without my markups, click here. Otherwise, read on (look on?) to see my opinion about how not to sell a house. home problems and solutions

home problems and solutions

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home problems and solutions

home problems and solutions

home problems and solutions

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Leah Shafer is a content and social media specialist, as well as a Dallas native, who lives in Richardson with her family. In her sixth-grade yearbook, Leah listed "interior designer" as her future profession. Now she writes about them, as well as all things real estate, for CandysDirt.com.

6 Comments

  1. Susan Melnick on March 29, 2016 at 11:50 am

    Ok Leah…and you live in Plano right?This is someone’s home and they still live there….they are doing the best can..



    • Leah Shafer on March 29, 2016 at 11:54 am

      It looks like they have little kids—I know how hard it can be to get time for *anything* with little ones. Not trying to pick on them; rather illustrate how staging and cosmetic blemishes can affect how potential buyers see a home. The home has huge potential.



      • Elizabeth on March 29, 2016 at 2:14 pm

        This article is mean spirited, not helpful in any way shape or form. You have no idea what this family’s financial situation is. You have no idea if the mom works full time and has no time or simply can’t pay a stager or someone to help her de-clutter or even BUY more furniture. I rarely comment on anything, but this struck a chord. Not trying to pick on them? No, you just publicly shamed them on a well known website.



        • Joanna England on March 29, 2016 at 4:26 pm

          I don’t see how it’s mean spirited. It is one thing to critique, but I don’t think that Leah is putting the seller or the agent down in a personal or demeaning way. She is pointing out a very valid fact: The seller and agent are leaving money on the table by not doing small, inexpensive fixes to make the house more attractive. We’ve done several posts that show readers how staging doesn’t have to be a budget-busting exercise in futility.



  2. Kathy on March 29, 2016 at 12:16 pm

    Amen, sister! Been in a dozen open houses with similar staging, clutter issues. It looks like a former rental unit that has been “rode hard and put away wet” and lowers the value. How is the agent actually helping their client sell? That is the agents job. Owners job is to take the advice, clean it up and de-clutter. And too much furniture is just as bad as this place.



  3. Candy Evans on March 29, 2016 at 3:37 pm

    I think we should pitch in and help her!