Buyers treat properties like Blind Dates; they don't care if there's a "good personality" !

Winston Heverly I would say the condition of the outside will dictate what it looks like inside.

Although both are important, I would say the outside had the edge. If the home is not appealing and in bad condition, the buyers will not want to enter the interior. At that has been my experience on several occasion while showing properties. I have driven up to properties, check my rearview mirror, and seen clients waving the house off before even getting out.

if the outside is really in need of repair, the potential buyer may never get inside!!!

Definitely the outside, if you can't get them to the front door you're sunk.

It's a combo.  The outside usually tells the tale of the inside.

The common rule is the inside will look like the outside.

A shabby outside may pre-empt any opportunity to show the gold plated fixtures inside.

There are ways to make a shabby outside work but it takes a little imagination and true planning.

If I had to choose I would go against the grain here and say the inside. On all showing appointments 95% of the showing is done inside so while the outside might look like hell I can easily just say "let's head on inside.. trust me".

Whereas if we pull up and it looks beautiful I can't say to them "You don't want to go in there."

:)

I have noticed that if the seller is unwilling to make the exterior of their home look appealing, many prospective buyers will drive by and never go in the front door. They will make a judgement that if the outside looks like this than the inside (where the owner(s) spend the majority of their time) must be worse condition. 

Outside: First impressions matter a lot; curb appeal. If they are not feeling the look, the view or the neighborhood, they don't care how great the inside is.

Both would be a good choice; but if the roof is bad and gutters growing trees we may assume the inside will have problems as well.

If the curb appeal is not there, many will never see the inside.

Curb appeal is important.

Great question!  I am with Richard Robibero, ABR, SRS on this one. 

Winston, I think, inside and outside should be in good condition.

I say the outside.  If the outside is bad buyers won't go in.  Kind of like the dating app Tinder.  If you find the person unattractive, you left swipe and are on to the next without reading their bio.  Same with houses. If it has bad curb appeal, you're on to the next without ever getting out of the car.  Buyers judge the book by the cover.

I think they are both equally important. There have been homes that look presentable from the outside and then the inside is that of a hoarder. 

I vote for the outside because if it doesn't have enough appeal to get the buyers in the front door, the inside will never matter.

I'm with Susan. In the absence of pheromones, I'll go with sizzle - inside and out.

They go hand-in-hand. John McCormack got it right.

Hi Winston Heverly . I'm with the others that the outside is likely more important. To that end, if the outside is really liked by a potential buyer, much on the inside won't "seem that bad".
Bruce

Typically there is a correlation between the inside and out.  Although I did show a flip last week where the inside was great...and the outside had loose lights hanging on the wall, trash in the yard and a ripped screen on the front door...yeah..we didn't stay long. The buy was afraid of what he couldn't see! Generally if they haven't bothered to pay attention to the outside you won't be happy with the inside, unless it priced very well!

Depends on what the particular issues are outside and inside which would determines the buyers decision

Outside condition of the property gets buyers into the house.  

I am siding with the idea of "both"!

Both.  If the outside condition is not good, then it will be hard to get buyers in the door.  Once you get them past the front door, you want to keep them there.  If the seller is selling as is and has the home priced right, then it doesn't matter.  

Both.  However - a Buyer will see the outside BEFORE they see the inside - so if a Seller wants to get them in the door - they better have curb appeal!

Both.... In our area, crappy interior is manageble. The location is the key. Outside.  Most million dollars homes mostly have brown weeds this year.

I agree that the exterior is likely more important than the inside -- if the outside is unappealing or actually scary the buyer won't venture outside of the car.

The outside of the home will can them in while the inside of the home can get them out!

I think the outside is more important because if it is bad, the buyer will probably not even go inside.

So it seems great interior with an exterior in need of work may be the secret gems for buyers looking to avoid the competition.

Both, of course...but I've seen buyers never walk in the door based on the outside. 

Great question Winston Heverly   The outside definitely.  Sometimes the inside is messy and can be perhaps explained away with people living in the house.  The interior is of no consequence if you can't get the people in the house because the exterior frightened them.

Good morning Winston,

I just went to preview a home on Friday and the outside looked so much better than the inside. Looks can be deceiving.

Hard question - can't get the buyer inside if the outside is bad - and generally the outside is SO easy to fix.

Both are important. But it's also important to remember that most people make up their minds about a house in the couple of minutes it takes to walk up to the front door.

I agree with the others. Many prospective buyers do not want to enter a house that they do not like from the outside.

By the time I get there, both those things take on importance! 

And sometimes supreme importance...

Usually, outside is MUCH more expensive to improve than inside. Either can be a mess with the right price in the right location!

It depends on the listing and the type of buyer.  Is the buyer(s) purchasing for investment, then it doesn't matter.  However, I do believe in curb appeal, first impression, especially for a type of home that would be owner occupied.

I would say that the outside is more important as the first impression when you drive up to a home makes a big difference. You can adjust price for the condition of the inside but will never make an offer of the outside turns buyers away.

Both - cube appeal is important - inside immaculate does not have to be the guideline but neat and clean help a lot.  Debbie

First if the outside does not look good, they may never even go inside. If the inside doesnt look good, they may run back outside. So my answer is both unless it is priced to sell for cash buyers looking to buy, fix and resell it, 

Winston - Although the exterior can't be so bad that the buyer does not want to enter the home, I would have to say that overall the interior would be more important. I can easily explain to a buyer that the trees can be trimmed, the garbage can be picked up, the lawn can be watered, and plants and flowers can be planted. I can't as easily tell a buyer that the bedroom can be enlarged, or we can add an extra bathroom or formal dining room. I would have to agree that more often than not, the exterior will reflect the interior, but if the home does look great on the inside and fits all the buyer needs, we can work with the outside.

Both, of course, but to get buyers in the door, the ouside needs to be presentable. I've seen buyers drive away without entering.

The interior is more important. Exterior can more easily be changed.

In my experience as long as the outside isn't bad the inside matters more. If either is really bad it's a no-go.

There is no either or.  If the customer takes care of the inside the outside will also be in great shape.  The opposite also applies.

The condition inside is more important as a yard can be sodded & flowers planeted for less money.