Hello Dave,

We removed 2 walls in our bungalow as it was quite dark. Now we are selling and the layout seems to be putting buyers off, my agent tells me to leave things as they are as someone will love it, but I need to sell fast and not sure if I should replace the stud walls. The bedroom doors also open into the living area which is a privacy issue.

Thanks so much,

Susie

Susie,

Shoot…it’s hard when you make changes to your home that you are confident will make it better only to find out that you actually might have made things worse. If your feedback has been consistent that the change you made is now a hindrance to the house selling, then you might consider putting the walls back up. Before you make any hasty decisions, make sure that the layout feature that is putting buyers off is indeed the wall removal and not the fact that the bedroom doors open to the living area! I have seen it time and time again, if the master bedroom is visible from the living area when the bedroom door is open it is a major buyer turn off. A “funky” floor plan is worse than a floor plan that shows dark, but identifying exactly what is causing the hesitation is crucial. The last thing you want to do is fix the wrong problem! Regardless of the floor plan quirk that is holding the house back, often times it is hard for a buyer to see how to fix the problem. Actually, even if the buyer can identify it, they do not have the expertise or know anyone who can make the changes for them to make the home more livable. Obviously, as your agent suggested, you always have the option to just wait it out, rather than fixing the problem.

“I understand your agent’s perspective and advice as I always say, “there’s a butt for every saddle” and if you wait long enough, you will eventually find the right butt and that butt will love it! ”

I understand your agent’s perspective and advice as I always say, “there’s a butt for every saddle” and if you wait long enough, you will eventually find the right butt and that butt will love it! Sometimes waiting is not the best option, especially if you can easily correct the issue and make the property more sellable and “now ready.” This time of year waiting takes on a whole new meaning, especially for those who wish to sell quickly, since we are headed into the winter months. As we creep closer to the holidays, patience can start to take on a whole new meaning and playing the “waiting game” can be a bit of Russian roulette. A house that shows dark is not a good thing, especially in a bungalow where space is at a premium. In smaller spaces it is always a best practice to try and have it show as bright as possible! One, cost effective, way to add more natural light to dark spaces is by adding solar tubes. A solar tube can bring lots of natural light to any dark area at a very affordable price. If you decide to put the walls back, then adding solar tubes may be an effective answer to your “dark” problem.

Regardless of what the problem is, you are doing the right thing by listening to your feedback and proactively trying to correct the problem. Identify the real problem. Get it fixed. Add a solar tube. Watch it sell! Best of luck!

Dave Kimbrough
The Kimbrough Team