As I often say, where you live has to work with your lifestyle or it is never going to be a home. I can easily rule out many homes just by knowing how you live. Do the kids eat at a kitchen table or will a breakfast bar do? Do you need to fit a table for 10 in your dining room? Do you barbecue and spend a lot of time in the backyard? Football is a big part of many people’s lives. If it’s a big part of yours — I need to know!

My football buyer isn’t going to buy a house if there is no room for a big TV. Yes, football often trumps where the kids are going to eat. You laugh, but again, this is all about lifestyle. There are many things buyers will forgive like bad paint and carpet, if the house works for their lifestyle.

Sellers need to help too. I was recently invited to a home in South Austin because a fellow agent wanted my opinion on how much the current décor would influence a potential buyer. I entered from the front door, directly into the living room which was painted University of Texas burnt orange. There were 2 large flat panel TV’s on the wall with a gaming console in between them. This was the ultimate UT man cave that only a UT gamer could love. It is very hard for a buyer to mentally separate that lifestyle, with their own. When a seller leaves the house that personalized when they put it on the market — they  send the message to potential buyers that it is their home and they really don’t want to leave. I recommended at least one TV come down and the room to be painted a neutral color.