This blog is fundamentally about helping owners of midcentury and vintage homes find the products and services they need to renovate, refurbish, remodel and decorate in a style that is sympathetic to their house’s original style. It’s for folks who want to be in these house. But sometimes, yes, we must move out of the house we love. Fairly regularly, I get the question, more or less stated:
How can I sell my midcentury home — with all its lovely original features — when real estate agents seem to be telling me that what buyers want today are new kitchens, new bathrooms, granite countertops and neutral decor?
I’ve written before about what I think to look for, when buying a midcentury house. But to help answer the question about preparing to sell, I turned to three real estate agents who specialize in selling midcentury homes — modern and modest alike. The agents are in different parts of the country: Martie Lieberman in Sarasota, Florida… Robert Searcy in Houston, Texas… and Alyssa Starelli in Portland, Oregon… for their opinions. They did a great job with my open-ended question. Read on… and then we’d love to hear what readers think — especially if you have recent experience as a seller, or a buyer of an original condition midcentury home.
Specialists in midcentury real estate offer advice on how to prepare to sell
Martie Lieberman, Sarasota, Florida:
“Help buyers fall in love with the original features that drew you to the home in the first place.”
First up, I checked with Martie Lieberman, who I know from visiting the Sarasota area several times over the past two years. DH and I have been poking around, looking at snowbird condos to maybe purchase when we get closer to retirement. Martie’s website is ModernSarasota.com. I knew she would have thoughtful advice. Here’s what Martie has to say:
Question: How do I sell my mid-century house, especially MY HOUSE, with all its wonderful, original features? As a Realtor who specializes in mid-century and unique architecture in Sarasota, Florida, I get asked this question a lot. My answer: Help buyers fall in love with the original features that drew you to the home in the first place.
Here is how to do it:.#1: Hire a Realtor that is experienced in working with mid-century or unique properties. Why? Because 9 out of 10 buyers find their own properties online now, but the websites those buyers use are still fed by the Realtor’s MLS system. So get it listed for the maximum possible exposure and reach more qualified buyers. Those interested enough to see your house will call their Realtor or yours, wanting to see it. It’s about numbers. The more people interested, the more offers, and the highest possible sales price..#2: Hire a professional photographer. To find the best in your area, check out the high-end real estate listings, and look for the photography that shows good composition, good lighting, true color, and a sense of what is important. You’ll usually find the photographer’s website listed on the virtual tour or slideshow. For a very dramatic effect, ask your Realtor to arrange for a “dusk” photography shoot, like I did for this property. Ask for as many photographs as possible, and don’t forget the details, such as kitchen features, bathrooms, storage, closets, etc. Have a slide-show or virtual tour made that tells a complete visual story about your mid-century house and all its best bits. Don’t forget to have your Realtor post a video on YouTube..#3: Clear out all excess stuff from closets, bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchen, every room. Put things in storage temporarily, if you have to. When in doubt, remove. Less is definitely more in photos. Get to the bare bones of your house..#4 Get your house inspected by a licensed real estate inspector. Understand what your buyer will find out, so you are ready to negotiate a fair price, or get things fixed before you sell..#5 Have your house appraised. Most people get a free opinion from area Realtors, but if you really want to know what your property is worth, especially if your buyer is likely to get a loan, you will want to have this information..#6 Make your house available for showings within an hour, but only to qualified buyers. Make sure your Realtor understands this rule, and says “no” to looky-loos. Have Open House dates scheduled so unqualified buyers, looky-loos and people seeking decorating tips can come see your house and tell their buyer friends all about it. But when qualified buyers are ready to see your house, open up and let them in so they can fall in love with your amazing house..Good luck and have fun!
Robert Searcy, Houston, Texas:
“…One person’s lack of updates is a mid-century enthusiast’s vintage details intact and unspoiled. If you have an agent that understands this, you start out ahead of the game.”
First off, the basics still apply, the house has to be clean, minor things need to be fixed, de-cluttered, etc. Sometimes a little bit of neutralizing things & making the colors a little less personal still helps too, even with mid-century homes..The first recommendation I would make is research to see if there are any agents in your city that specialize or are particularly knowledgeable about mid-century modern or ranch styles. They are more likely to have sympathetic buyers because if any are moving, they may have researched and found that same agent. They will also have a better idea of what to promote in verbiage and photographs. I often times see very experienced and competent agents who just don’t have to be well versed in mid-century, fail to talk about the things that appeal to the mid-century niche market. I have often said that one person’s lack of updates is a mid-century enthusiasts vintage details intact and unspoiled. If you have an agent that understands this, you start out ahead of the game..If you don’t have a mid-century specialists in your city, then you may have to educate and monitor your agent a bit more. Make sure you review the wording and pictures that will be posted on the local MLS to insure the focus has been placed on your vintage home’s true assets. Often times descriptions of perfect condition original homes include: “Needs updating” or “fixer upper” and comments along those lines. They fail to focus on architectural elements that are appealing to mid-century buyers, such as poured in place terrazzo, roman brick, cove lighting, floating cabinetry, clerestory windows and other elements common to the period that are sought after. I have seen the architectural details that are important to mid-century buyers that you would think would be more obvious, like skylight bathrooms or atriums, also fail to get mention in the description in favor of phrases like “ready for your remodeling touches” or “bring your contractor and your imagination.” Or the worst one we have here in Houston, “great building site.” Pay attention to what your agent is saying about your home..I would also recommend googling around to find any message boards that might have real estate sections targeting mid-century modern and ranch house buyers. A couple of examples include lottaliving.com, which has a free real estate posting site. Something as mundane as keeping it on craigslist can help too. If someone is moving to your city and is interested in a mid-century home, they may google “mid century modern or “atomic ranch” and if you have terms like that in your listing, it can pop up. If you have a local message board about architecture or something along those lines, check those out as well. Dig for any resources on line. And if it is a really fabulous house, then send it to Pam so we can ALL see it!
Thank you, Robert. You are a good marketer, making me feel all special-like by reminding all your real estate colleagues to send me their hot hotter hottest time capsule photos, stat! Yes: Help get the word out. I especially am grateful for the permission to feature these photos so that we can archive them for all to see for years to come. Readers, Robert has a blog, too, check it out.
Alyssa Starelli, Portland, Oregon:
“… The good news is that there are always buyers like us, those who really ‘get’ it…. Instead of remodeling for quick sale, focus on the items every buyer and appraiser wants to see — well working ‘mechanicals’.”
Finally, I asked Alyssa Starelli to share her experience. I met AlyStar when I visited Portland a few years. She is also a regular commenter on the blog. I love her homepage which underscores, like we do here: “Whether it be granny… or modern… it’s midcentury, and we love it!” Aly’s take on our question:
I hear this question quite a bit, the good news is that there are always buyers like us, those who really ‘get’ it. They see the quality of original materials, the beauty of period design, and ultimately if you’re willing to wait to find the right buyer, you will find them. Heck, maybe you’ll entice them with those buzz words ‘mid-century, vintage, original or retro’!.But, many realtors don’t want to wait, or work hard for their commission. They will come up with a bevy of reasons why you should modernize your home to reach a larger market, and sure, logically they’re right, everyone loves flipper beige, right? Or wait, maybe they’re wrong…!!.From my experience, you might even detract the right buyer by a haphazard, low-end remodel. What you will definitely do, is remove the opportunity for the purchaser to remodel (or not) in his or her own taste, and they will feel as they are paying through the nose for that slab of new granite they didn’t want in the first place. It will affect negotiations, and you may not see a return on those funds at all. [Note from Pam: See my cautionary story about remodeling ROI that the home remodeling industry tries to obfuscate, “Remodel and watch your ‘investment’ plunge.”].So instead of remodeling for quick sale, focus on the items every buyer and appraiser wants to see — well working ‘mechanicals’. No realtor or buyer can balk at a new roof, a recently inspected well-running furnace, updated electrical panel, unobstructed sewer line, oil tank decommissioning, extra insulation, radon mitigation, upgraded plumbing, storm windows, etc. If you spend money on a kitchen remodel, but your sewer line is bad, you are going to be woefully surprised by the double whammy you experience in inspection negotiation — that new kitchen suddenly doesn’t mean a thing! The same money could have been used towards something necessary, but now it’s lost in the cosmetic. Ouch..Though a ‘buyer in love’ will buy a house dirty or clean, if you’re the detailed sort and want the most for your realtor dollars, take a look around your house — spruce up, declutter, and de-grannify! If things are falling apart, fix them! If there’s dry rot, cure it! If the paneling needs oiling, get buffing. If the Formica has popped up, glue it down. Prove to the buyers that this house is amazing vintage or new! Safely scrub, bleach, re-grout, paint (not the paneling!). Then after all that, if a realtor can’t sell that house, it’s the price that is the problem, not the house. Price cures EVERYTHING!
What do you think, readers,
about the advice from Martie, Robert and Alyssa?
*
Do you have your own advice to share —
learned from selling, or buying, a midcentury house
with lots of intact original features?
Eliza says
When we first looked at our MCM it was very bare and that was definitely appealing. I look at all the clutter now and think “man, this house looked so good when we looked at it – why do we have so much STUFF!?!?” And the agent who was showing the house completely took us in, there is a double door from the kitchen out to the patio and it is one of those old fashioned split doors where you can open up the top half, and of course she had it open. How could we not fall in love with that 🙂 We are still crazy about our split kitchen doors.
Stacy says
As a buyer, we were torn between letting our realtor know that we loved original mid-century feature, or “agreeing” that these homes needed extensive renovation. We really needed to get the most for our money, and thought maybe acting like some of these charming houses needed to be gutted might get us a lower price. In the end, being honest with the agent and seller about what we liked and wanted was the better route. As some previous posts have pointed out, if people are attached to and proud of their home, they may be looking for a buyer who will appreciate it and take care of it too. I believe we were able to negotiate a better price because the owner (original) knew we were a family who was not going to change everything when we moved in. The children and grandchildren of the owners (who have passed), still come to visit the neighborhood and walk by the house. I feel great that we were “chosen” over flippers as the next caretakers of their home.
Brian T says
The hidden, inside-out lesson of this post, if you’re a buyer: Look extra-close at listings that say “fixer-upper,” “ready to remodel” etc. When I’ve been buying, I have seen so many ramshackle, barely functional houses with huge repair issues, that I became allergic to fixer-uppers. Now I wonder if I bypassed houses that were dated fixer-uppers to some but vintage move-in-ready to me.
When my partner and I bought our 1954 Cape Cod last summer, it was not listed with an agent. It was for sale by the brother of the original owner, who had died seven months before. When our agent was getting us set to view eight houses we had selected from the online listings, my partner remembered this FSBO we had seen months before in our most-desired neighborhood, and we tacked it on to our list as an afterthought. It was the last house we were scheduled to see; we walked in, loved it and never thought about another house again. I don’t know how much our gushing influenced the seller, who drove a pretty hard bargain, but we did ooh and ahh a lot over the original family’s choices. We’re planning to invite the brother over to dinner a year out from the sale, to kinda demonstrate how we’re honoring so much of the house’s origins — even if we did completely redo some others, including the knotty pine basement (sorry, Pam! We tried to save it! And you’d really like what we ended up with even if it’s not knotty!). The brother agreed to give us a photo of the orignal owner family, which we’ll keep on display, since we feel like it’s still their house too.
Eldon Daetweiler says
More on topic than my last post… I prefer to be present when my MCM listings are shown. I’m in CA & not sure how all states work, but many homes here are on lock boxes that agents have access to without the listing agent being present. Especially if the buyer’s agent isn’t familiar with the features or genre of the home, I like to be present to point them out. Pointing out & explaining details & craftsmanship makes all the difference. I usually have a few “Atomic Ranch” magazines in plain view that I can refer to if needed. Sometimes buyers that are previously unaware or exposed to how cool these homes are end up being tremendous, new enthusiasts.
Robert S says
Eldon, I am sorry but I have to disagree with you on that. Having the seller there showing the house is not the way to go. Buyers, regardless of what style house they want, share a few characteristics in common. One of those is wanting to envision themselves in the home. Having the seller there showing it is usually less comfortable and can be awkward. Most may be polite and even act enthusiastic, but they can’t get their own feel for the space with you there. Part of selling is getting the buyer to envision it as THEIR home, which is hard to do when you are there showing your home. As an alternative, leave “tour sheets” with explanations of each rooms and some of the details.
Eldon Daetweiler says
Robert, no need to be sorry to disagree. I’m only speaking from my own experience, & location (city) may play a part in my comment. When I was selling MCM homes in Los Angeles there were far less original owners, & buyers looking for these types of homes had usually owned one before. In that scenario I would agree with you. Here in Fresno, MCM homes entering the market are few & far between, & adding the fact that I think we are #2 in the country for diminished inventory in general, we are back to multiple offers and in most cases competing with investors with cash. We are still behind the social curve as far as education & the value of preserving these homes, many sellers are original owners, and anything in the 50 year old range is still generally considered old, outdated, and easy prey to flippers tear out all character replacing it with run of the mill, insensitive to the character, shiny “new” looking homes.
My mission here has been to educate people about the fantastic architecture we have, resulting in new owners that will care for the homes & respect detail that can’t be replaced once torn out (for the most part). I haven’t experienced buyers that were turned off by a sellers enthusiasm & personal tour including the home’s history. We do have homes designed by internationally acclaimed architects, but the majority of our MCM homes were designed by local Architects & the city has no records of who those architects were. If the sellers are home the first thing I ask (if I haven’t figured it out when I walk in) is who the architect was. That simple question puts the seller at ease, educates the buyers, starts the conversation & begins a positive impression of the buyers to the seller. Rarely is someone that is going to gut their house interested in who the architect was. If the buyer requires alone time & I know we need to make a decision when we walk out the door because this house is going to be in multiple offers, I sit & talk with the seller & ask if it’s ok for the buyers to walk around by themselves – or if time permits, we schedule a second appointment without the seller present. My job representing buyers is to help them have the best chance at purchasing the home of their choice. My job representing the seller is to get them the best offer. Sometimes the seller’s peace of mind & feeling good about the person or persons that will be in their home is worth more than an offer that is slightly higher. Everyone does business their own way, but this has worked for me and usually ends well. I also get a surprising amount of referrals.
april says
I agree that internet presentation is so important. We have a company here in Denver that has a beautiful website, milehimodern.com http://milehimodern.com/plist1.php
I think it’s a great example of how staging and good photography can make a huge difference in marketing specialized property.
Beautiful house Kersten, and a great post Pam 🙂
Wayne says
milehimodern in Denver sold my last home and I can say from experience that photography makes a huge difference. My last house was a 1909 shotgun, but decorated mid-century. The online pictures and marketing managed to marry these two styles and resulted in a quick sale. I recommend milehimodern to anyone selling a mid-century in Denver. They really get it!
ReeseAK says
This is a great posting I wish more realtors in my area (Anchorage, AK) would read, as I have seen many of the few mid-century homes for sale here being marketed in the “needs updating” mode.
Unfortunately one of those belonged to my grandparents. The house was not the best fit for us hence the reason for not purchasing it ourselves, even though I adored it. However if I’d known of all the original features the buyers (flippers, actually) were going to rip out, I would have thought much harder about how to make a purchase work.
Last December saw us purchase our fourth house (our 3rd mid-century era home) and during the house search we were insistant on finding one with enough original charm left to enjoy. We had just spent seven years in a mid-1970s Split, an experience I don’t care to repeat. We are lucky in having a realtor that is also a friend so she understands our design needs.
The Anchorage market for mid-century homes is very small. The overwhelming number of houses here were built in the 1970s-90s. Again overhelmingly, the items available at our local ReStore are from the 1970s-80s era. I am happy about a find just last week: a square ceiling light with pierced copper sides and milk glass shade. It went up in the kitchen on Friday.
This site is helping me tremendously with finding retroremodel items I need to return the few remodeled parts of our house to something more fitting its original style.
Eldon Daetweiler says
Great subject! Just a little perspective from the buyer’s side & getting offers accepted. Many times I see MCM homes that aren’t marketed as such. The listing agent is either not in touch with the genre, or often seems “apologetic” thinking it is dated (instead of fabulous) & doesn’t include photos of kitchens, baths, etc.in the MLS, because the agent thinks it’s a deterrent to the general market. Especially when you come across a beautifully maintained home with original owners, there is a lot of love & attachment that goes along with that home. It’s not always the highest offer that gets the house. My experience has been that an old school letter to the seller(s) from the potential buyer(s) telling a little about themselves & why they love the seller’s home is a wonderful thing. It’s not a guarantee that the buyer will get the offer accepted, but when a seller reads that the feel & original details of the home are what the buyer absolutely loves, it adds an emotional element to the offer. Chances are those sellers spent a little more than they felt comfortable with 60 years ago getting that “outdated” kitchen that we know and love with St. Charles cabinets.
Instead of considering it an inconvenience on a day when you have ten houses to see, jump at the chance to see a house that requires an appointment with the seller. Open the conversation with comments on how much you love the details & don’t be afraid to use the language you know about them. They’ll be welcomed, & you’ll probably be there for an hour going down memory lane. We all love these homes for the same reason whether we’re 24 or 94.
pam kueber says
Great additions. Yes: When I was selling a house, I was appalled by one potential buyer who told me, excitedly, that she would immediately refinish all the woodwork. The house had original finish 1912 quarter sawn oak! I was so alarmed! I would not have sold the house to her!
IMissLiberty says
A good buyers’ agent will warn their clients not to talk about changing anything within hearing of the seller. The agents I dealt with recently don’t seem to want buyers and sellers anywhere near each other!
Laura says
I agree with IMissLiberty and Pam. When I was selling my 1920 Craftsman bungalow, I had just come off of 8 years of stripping and returning to its former glory all the quarter-sawn oak trim, staircase, and built-in bookcases. I was literally going out the back door and the real estate agent was coming in the front door with a buyer I overheard say, “What all this wood needs is a good coat of white paint.” I admit that agent almost witnessed a homicide that day. Thank heavens, that couple did not buy my house.
Patty says
That’s because most people want to sell the house and get the most money they can. Both buyer and seller will probably talk too much and kill any possible deal.
TappanTrailerTami says
Appealing to the original owners, or their children/grandshildren can be a “big deal” in the decision on whom they will sell the house to….
This happens with many things, not just houses. I recently almost purchased a 1961 Holiday House vintage travel trailer – the granddaughter was very emotionally attached to her grandpa’s trailer, having spent many summers “camping” in grandpa’s back yard. Because she knew I wasn’t going to use it as a storage trailer, and would have returned it to it’s former glory – she was much more amenable to selling it to me vs. the lady who low-balled them on price and then LIED to them about what was original to the trailer and what wasn’t. Of course, I pointed out what was a lie to her, and even though I didn’t end up buying, they were very appreciative for some guidance on price so they could avoid being taken advantage of by someone who just wanted to turn around and flip this very rare vintage travel trailer and make a few bucks.
Long story short: emotional attachments are sometimes the most important to a seller – money isn’t everything.
Darlahood says
“From my experience, you might even detract the right buyer by a haphazard, low-end remodel.”
Ding ding ding!! Can’t tell you how many houses I’ve looked at that were perfect until you walked in the front door and the cute bungalow somehow turns into a condo.
“Or the worst one we have here in Houston, “great building site.”
Yup, familiar with this one too. Many great historic neighborhoods in Tampa are being gutted and 4,000 sq ft quasi-Mediterranean styled town homes built there instead.
IMissLiberty says
Another tip about “staging”: I used to sell real estate in 1979-1980 (until mortgage rates went to 22%), and continue to take an interest. A few years ago I went to a seminar given by a “stager” who had experience in set decorating in the movie/tv industry.
Her advice was to put an object in each room that would evoke positive emotion, because this is what’s memorable about a home when people are touring several. Examples: “The house with the shaving brush and mug in the bathroom.” “The atomic starburst clock in the living room.”
A midcentury home is a trip down memory lane for many age groups, so they’re built in, but think about the ages and tastes of your likely shoppers and try to make that connection in a positive way.
How about a working ant-farm in the 4th bedroom? Or a copy of a significant mid-century newspaper on the ottoman as if mid-century Dad just left the room for a moment?
The smell of cookies baking is a cliche’ (some agents dab vanilla on a stove burner so they don’t have to actually bake them) technique, but actually providing them, if the kitchen evokes mid-century domesticity and hospitality could really work on the right buyers.
Kersten says
I will use this info for our next showing! We did make brownies and had them on the cooktop for the open house (with cute Royal China Star Glow plates next to them!) I also had out our Lawrence Welk Dance Party LP next to Billie Holiday playing on the ipod dock. I put a funny little stuffed hippo on the middle of our bed (mine from childhood), and had some strategically placed atomic ranch magazines. We took down any personal photographs, but I still felt it necessary to show some of our personality in the house.
pam kueber says
Great tips about adding objects that evoke positive emotions and make the house memorable — I think they are RIGHT ON! Yes: When we were buying we’d always have a nickname for the house to remember and talk about it. What will the nickname for your house for sale be?
When I had to sell my Michigan house, I baked chocolate chip cookies – YES!
AND this reminds me: If you have a fireplace, light it up! I guess, not if it’s 100 degrees out. But in another house I had to rent, then sell, I always put the fireplace on — this also really made the house super cozy, I think…
Kersten says
Pam, the timing of this post is amazing. We just had our 1st open house yesterday, and I’m pleased that we had a good number of people come through. The only reason we are selling is because we found a bit bigger ranch with all original features and more space inside and out. We were told “change it” (even our recently retrorenovated bathroom that you featured) and said NO WAY, we think the right buyer is out there! We decluttered as much as possible, and rented a storage unit for all my treasures – (including the St. Charles cabinets that I’m now attempting to sell.) Yesterday when we had to leave for the open house we had the kids load all of their stuffed animals into the minivan, took the cat by wagon to the neighbors and plopped our little corgi on my lap and drove around for a couple hours. We are hopeful that someone will love our house as much as we do. Here’s a link to the photographs if anyone wants to take a peek and offer additional suggestions.
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/N1790-Birchview-Rd_Shelby_WI_54601_M78201-27865
What I find shocking is that no one wants to underscore the CLEAR redwood siding and limestone fireplaces (2!!!) Houses aren’t made like this anymore! I even scrubbed the entire exterior of the house with a bucket and a sponge on a ladder. The redwood is stunning. I’ll miss it terribly.
pam kueber says
Your house looks beautiful, Kersten. May I recommend: Get your agent to load the photos larger! As our real estate experts have said: Folks are looking online first — give ’em big photos to ogle! Good luck!!!
Kersten says
Thanks, Pam! I agree about the size of the pics but it might be Realtor.com, since the pics are much bigger on the listing website
http://www.ghrealtors.com/IDXDetail.aspx?mlsnum=1268775&city=Shelby&address=N1790–BIRCHVIEW-RD&page=3&mlstableid=METROMLSRES&sp=y&segmentid=0&uid=99424&sid=98657&htmlfile=shell_idxsearch.html
I’m disappointed that there isn’t a picture of the kitchen where the corner fireplace wraps around into the kitchen for the built in double oven and rotisserie. I guess it is just a surprise for those that come to see it.
pam kueber says
I think what I’m learning from this story: Is that you should ask your agent about these issues and ask her if she can address them!
Ana says
Hi, Kersten.
You might want to check with your realtor about the size on the “larger pictures” area of Realtor.com. (I’ve been helping my parents house-hunt and I know that there’s a larger size that shows up.) You have a great house and nice, clear photos — it would be a shame if people couldn’t see them at the largest size on a major listing site.
Patty says
Serious buyers will be working with an agent and receiving emails daily. The photos will be fine. Buyers don’t just knock on the door and ask for a tour. It’s the looky-loos who won’t have big pictures on realtor.com.
Allie says
I love all your awesome light fixtures! Your house looks great- good luck!
Sarah P says
Gorgeous house and decor. Just wish the realtor took “larger” photos–they’re too small to easily appreciate. And there’s no photos of the new bathroom! What up with dat?? : )
lynda says
I think the house looks fabulous. I would make them edit the pictures to show the bath. I also think the room that has the credenza and the book case looks a bit crowded. I might take out the built ins on the wall or put a day bed in the room so you could still use the lights on either side of the bed. Also, you can take some of your own pictures and ask them to edit the photos. Remember, they are working for you and you can ask for changes!
natal says
Oh my! What a beautiful home! I would ask them to adjust the picture sizes for certain. I’m sure you are on that. I would miss this home too, but then again you are probably getting into something just as sweet! Best of luck. You will sell this house at that price! I was shocked at the price. Perhaps I need to move out of Portland, OR to get one like yours for that price!
Patty says
Isn’t this house in Wisconsin?
jay says
What a lovely house and lush green setting. Good luck! But deffinately get those pictures bigger so internet viewers can see all the details.