Liz Amaya • South Florida Real Estate

12/10/2025

What you see: "This kitchen just needs cosmetic updates!"

"Someone with vision will love this!"

What buyers see: "$40k kitchen reno before I can use it."

"I have to live in a construction zone for 6 months."

The potential gap:

You: Worth $500k with some minor work!

Buyers: Needs $80k in renovations. I'll pay $420k.

The buyer who "sees potential" wants an $80k discount to deal with it.

Why "potential" doesn't sell:

1. Buyers don't want projects
They want move-in ready, not move-in-and-renovate.

2. Buyers can't visualize

You lived there 10 years. You know what it COULD be.

They see what it IS.

3. Buyers do the math

Outdated kitchen = $40k
Ugly carpet = $8k
Overgrown yard = $5k

They're subtracting $53k from your price.

The brutal truth:

Option 1: Fix it yourself

Spend $30k
Sell for $70k more
Net $40k profit

Option 2: Sell "as-is with potential"

Spend $0
Buyer demands $70k discount
Net -$40k loss

What buyers actually think:

You say: "Hardwood under the carpet!"

They think: "Why didn't YOU remove it?"

You say: "Easy cosmetic fixes!"

They think: "Then why didn't you do them?"

You say: "Priced for potential!"

They think: "Priced like you're lazy."

You don't need to renovate everything.
But you DO need to:

Deep clean
Remove clutter
Fix obvious issues
Paint neutrals
Mow the lawn

Cost: $2k-$5k
Return: $20k-$40k

The truth:

Buyers don't buy houses for what they COULD be.

They buy for what they ARE.

Or they discount heavily for the work.

Your choice:

Fix it and get top dollar
Price it like the fixer it is
Watch it sit wondering why "buyers don't see potential"

They see it. They just don't want to pay full price for your to-do list.

04/10/2024

Florida from an old Floridian point of view

04/08/2023

Plants that will clean air naturally:
https://gardeningsoul.com/12-best-houseplants-for-improving-the-air-quality-in-your-home/

12/12/2022

If you're looking up "FHA loan requirements," you are probably wondering whether you qualify for an FHA loan.

12/07/2022

In May of 1965, a Miami law firm working with $5 million in cold cash quietly engineered one of the biggest Florida land deals in years. Walt Disney was secretly assembling the 30,000 acres of land for what would become Walt Disney World in Central Florida. Now, 57 years later, the size of the entire Walt Disney World resort is 40 square miles, or the size of San Francisco. Walt Disney, a true real estate pioneer.

10/31/2022

My dad gave me this advice a long time ago when I moved into my first apartment. He even came out and changed the screws for me as soon as I moved in. Someone else recently posted about it and I thought I would share!
A good home security tip that you may have never thought about... Most contractors install the plates with the supplied screws which are only a half-inch long and come out with one kick by a burglar. He installed 4-inch screws in their place that go through the door frame and into the framing of the house. They can kick for a long time before they get tired! You can see in the picture the screw in his hand is the screw supplied with the door hardware. Making a burglar make a bunch of noise and be foiled in their initial plan can not only give you time to arm yourself but they will most likely move on to an easier target.

08/06/2021

https://www.forbes.com/self-made-women/

Inside Forbes' ranking of the country's most successful self-made women entrepreneurs and executives as measured by their net worths.