Winter Was Coming for the Housing Market

Folks, were you feeling it? Because I was feeling it. It felt like winter was coming for the housing market, and I wanted you to adapt your selling approach before it cost you thousands of dollars.

At the time, we were seeing higher inventory nationwide, lower buyer demand, softer consumer confidence, and stubborn mortgage rates. Homes were taking longer to sell, competition was rising, and the strategy that worked three years earlier was not working the same way anymore.

The old approach was not the move anymore

During the COVID era, the playbook looked simple. You watched HGTV, learned “interior design” from Pinterest, upgraded your home, and then listed it for a huge profit.

But when the market shifted, that strategy stopped being reliable. Even sellers who did everything “right” were finding it hard to sell, because buyers were more price sensitive and less willing to pay a premium for someone else’s upgrades.

The new approach I wanted sellers to adopt

If you were considering selling, I encouraged you to stop thinking about overhauling the house and start thinking like an investor. Buyers were not expecting a brand new home, and they were not excited to pay extra for upgrades they did not choose.

What buyers wanted most was a home that was clean, well maintained, and priced at fair market value. That phrase mattered more than any trend, finish, or remodel.

Ten things I told sellers not to change

I shared this list to help sellers protect profits and avoid over investing in a market that was no longer rewarding those big projects.

1. Flooring

If your floors were in good condition, I recommended keeping them. Flooring is personal, and buyers often did not want to pay a premium for a new floor they might not even like.

Even if you disliked your existing floors, like cherry hardwood, I encouraged you to think twice. Cherry tends to darken over time and can be beautiful, and buyers were often more focused on price than on a new floor.

2. Kitchen cabinets

If cabinets were in decent shape, I suggested keeping them. Small changes like paint or updated hardware could help, but a full remodel for the sole purpose of resale often did not pay off.

Many buyers walked into remodeled kitchens and still said, “It’s not my style,” which is exactly why I preferred price and condition over heavy renovation.

3. Windows

I discouraged replacing all windows unless you truly had to. Window replacement is expensive, and most buyers were not making “brand new windows” a non negotiable.

Instead, I recommended making sure windows functioned properly and repairing compromised panes or seals. If a home inspector flagged windows, that created leverage for the buyer, so getting ahead of it usually saved money.

4. Appliances

If appliances were working properly, I recommended keeping them. If something was not functioning correctly, I encouraged repairing what you had instead of automatically replacing everything.

A good example was a built in refrigerator that seemed like a huge replacement expense. Repairing and restoring it often cost a fraction of replacement and still gave buyers confidence.

5. HVAC

This was the one I did not want sellers to ignore. If the system was truly at the end of its life, replacing it or budgeting for replacement mattered, because buyers and inspectors would call it out quickly.

If you were not sure, I recommended having an HVAC professional evaluate the system and getting that in writing. That documentation, paired with a home warranty in some cases, could reduce buyer fear and protect your negotiation position.

6. Countertops

If countertops were in good condition, I recommended leaving them alone. At the time, quartz was everywhere, and buyers were becoming picky about style, which meant new countertops did not automatically translate to a higher sales price.

The bigger point was not that quartz was bad. It was that replacing perfectly fine counters for resale often did not create a strong return.

7. Recessed lighting installs

If you did not already have recessed lighting, I typically discouraged installing it right before selling. The drywall cuts and patchwork could create visual inconsistencies that made buyers wonder if there had been leaks or repairs.

That said, I did recommend improving lighting consistency, meaning matching bulb temperature and making sure lighting felt cohesive throughout the home. Small lighting changes could still make a big impact without creating construction “questions.”

8. Closet organizational systems

If you already had a beautiful closet system, great. If you did not, I did not think it was a smart pre sale investment purely for resale value.

Instead, I wanted you to declutter and make closets look spacious. Clean, organized, and roomy usually mattered more than expensive built ins.

9. Full bathroom remodels

I discouraged gutting bathrooms right before listing unless there was a major issue. Buyers were often more concerned about price than about your specific design choices.

If a bathroom needed a refresh, I preferred targeted upgrades like paint, new hardware, updated fixtures, better lighting, or replacing bathroom carpet with tile if needed.

10. Doors

I recommended working with what you had whenever possible. Replacing interior doors, a front door, or a garage door could be expensive, and buyers might not value that upgrade the way sellers expected.

Instead, I encouraged making sure doors functioned properly, then freshening with paint and clean, updated hardware where needed.

One item I did not want you to overlook: the roof

Even though the video focused on avoiding big upgrades, I did not want sellers neglecting the roof. In some areas, insurance and lending were becoming stricter, and roof condition could stop a deal.

If you could repair and maintain instead of replacing, great. But I wanted a roof professional to confirm the roof was in good shape so the transaction did not get derailed later.

The real takeaway

The purpose of this article was not to tell you to do nothing. It was to help you stop overspending in a market that was rewarding smart pricing, strong presentation, and good maintenance more than shiny remodels.

In that environment, pricing was king. You could not renovate your way out of bad pricing, and you could not assume upgrades would automatically earn you a premium.