Buying or selling a house in Central Indiana? Your must-have decides who can buy from you later

Every premium you pay, someone has to pay again when you sell. A feature most buyers want creates a deep buyer pool. A feature only a few buyers want shrinks it.

1. The buyer pool. The same rule holds everywhere:

• A fairway view isn’t a membership.
• A skyline view isn’t walking distance.
• Backing up to a field isn’t owning the acres.

2. Know what you’re paying for.

• New construction: builder-grade, upgraded, or custom? If your one thing is the lot, buy the lot. Finishes can change later. The lot cannot.
• Older home: character or condition? The original woodwork and the original furnace might come in the same house. Decide which one you’re paying for.
• Acreage: twenty acres with six you can use is a different life than fifteen you can use every bit of.
• Condo or townhome: low maintenance is real, but you own the structure and not the land. On the northside, I’ve seen townhomes sell for $240,000 that would be worth $400,000 on their own lot.

3. What you can stand. The opposite is also true. What can you put up with that most people can’t? That’s your competitive advantage: less competition, and your whole world opens up.

• Need to move right now? You can close insanely fast.
• Can you wait a year? Give the seller a long time to move out, and help them with their certainty.

4. Two travelers. One checks that the front door is locked, the gas is off, and the flight is on time fifteen times each. The other books France a day before with a toothbrush and some underwear. Each gives you a different advantage. Bring yours to the offer.

5. Sellers: rank three. You want top dollar, a fast close, and a sweetheart inspection? Rank them. When two offers land together, your first priority breaks the tie.

Want to talk about your house together? nlamkin@c21scheetz.com

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