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Do you have collectibles or war trophies all over your house? Having a tough time selling your house?
Is there a slight chance you are shocking the buyers with your collectibles or war trophies? You’ll be surprised how often that happens.
A while ago, I received a surprising call from a seller who I had not seen or heard from in over 20 years. The seller wanted me to give them an idea of what their house in Escazu can sell for.
The house is quite beautiful. It’s well-built, well designed, and very well maintained. There was one little problem: there are collectibles all over the house.
There are collectibles in the hallway, in the living room, and in the kitchen. They have ’em in all the bedrooms and there are collectibles all over the master bathroom. You can hardly walk anywhere without crashing into a collectible.
Gay Collectibles
This reminded me of a house for sale that a former business partner was planning to buy. I was not even a real estate agent then, so it’s been a few years now. The house was owned by a gay couple. There were phalluses all over the living room, of all sizes, some even taller than I am, 6.10. That gives you an idea of their size.
I thought it was crazy. I don’t care if you’re gay, but get rid of the stuff that might scare buyers away while selling your house. It’s amazing that the realtor didn’t tell the sellers to put them away. Some buyers (most actually) might be quite shocked when they walk into this surreal landscape, and not buy the house.
I can imagine some of you reading this with a shocked expression on your face. So I decided not to use a very expressive photo at the beginning of this blog. Therefore I used an image of how you would probably look during the showing.
As a real estate agent, once in a while, you come across some shocking things. Once, in Atenas, I had gay sellers leave a porn movie running on a laptop when we arrived with buyers. I have never seen anyone leave the property so quickly.
But let’s get back to the collectibles.
Are you a collector?
Being Dutch, I come from a much different culture. I didn’t realize how important collectibles are for some North Americans until I started selling houses in Costa Rica.
I once had a home seller who used to be a secretary for Coca Cola for 30 years. The house was full of Coca-Cola collectibles. I’ve had stuffed animal collectors, ceramic figurine collectors, doll collectors, bottle caps collectors, and ashtray collectors.
Having a house full of collectibles when trying to sell your house is not such a great idea. The collectibles divert all the attention from the object you are selling: your house.
It is said that collectibles are the New Real Estate, as published in The New York Times. But let’s sell the house first and then you can try to sell those valuable collectibles.
War Trophies
You might have been in pretty important wars in the past. Nonetheless, they can have a very negative impact on selling your house in Costa Rica if you openly showcase your collectibles. These could include:
- War trophies such as guns and knives
- Nazi and swastika collections
- Pictures of naked women or men you had sex with in the past
- Medal collections
- Or the animals you have shot during your hunting trips.
Concentrate
It is important you concentrate on selling your house! Then buyers can concentrate on looking at the property and not your collectibles. All those collectibles and war trophies are obstacles that make a buyer lose concentration, like a playful dog or a bookcase full of books are. They are a distraction for many buyers.
You could follow Bill Gasset’s tips on how to sell a home with pets for example!
In storage
When selling your house in Costa Rica, please pack your collectibles and war trophies in boxes. Put them in storage, hopefully away from the house.
Are you a serious and motivated seller? Then you possibly want the buyers to look at your house for sale and not waste any attention to your collection. You’re probably taking your collectibles or war trophies with you anyway, so why even show them off?
Do you want to purchase a house in Costa Rica that doesn’t have collectibles or war trophies all over the house? Then contact a GoDutch Realty agent now.
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I DO want to remind our readers that we appreciate any referrals you can send us. Also, remember GoDutch Realty when talking about your home in Costa Rica to friends and family. We appreciate it.
Elder woman photo created by cookie_studio – www.freepik.com
