Instead of a vision, show them the house
Sellers try to rationalize not making needed updating and repairs to their homes before marketing them by saying they are going to let the buyers make their own personal choices. It is a convenient story to justify not going to the effort for the necessary market preparation to justify achieving the highest possible sales price. An agent told a story of a home that was structurally sound being on the market, but it needed significant cosmetic work, like paint, floorcovering, updated fixtures, and lots of yard work. The house was vacant with the owner having moved out of town. The agent explained to a prospective buyer what he thought it would take to bring the home up-to-date and what it would be worth. The buyer was from out of town and was going to be teaching at the university the next semester. He returned home without buying and came back to look again two months later. As they were looking at homes with the same agent, the question came up ...