I say this to every seller I meet. It gets them thinking about making a favorable impression. I walk around the house and yard with them, asking them to play the role of the potential buyer. It can be enlightening - or not. Sometimes sellers will speak with pride about renovations or redecorating they did 40 years ago and how much value that adds to the proprerty. We may have to work with that, so my mantra with sellers is Quality-Order-Serenity.
Quality: It is imperative that everything be in working order, even if it is not modern. I ask sellers to fix all those small things they have been putting up with, such as leaky faucets, loose hinges, doorknobs that come off in your hand, and windows that don't open or stay up. I try to highlight architectural features, such as moldings, fireplaces and mantles, built-ins, or a bank of beautiful windows. Many homes in Hamden built in the 1930s and 1940s have wonderful architectural details. Some have stone front porches, porticos or tudor features.
Order: With our busy lives, we seem to be a bit messier. Clutter must go! Clutter confuses my buyers, who often want to just leave the house rather than focus on what may be under the clothes on the floor or the stacks of boxes in the corner. Clutter is ugly and can be hazardous. I see blocked back stairways in multifamily units all the time, and shudder at the thought of an emergency evacuation in the middle of the night. I recently met a Feng Shui practitioner, and am quite fascinated by the concept. Feng Shui literally translates into "wind-water". It is a discipline that strives to make our lives more harmonious by integrating humans with their natural environment. It focuses on energy flows throughout the home. Much of the modern contruction and decor borrows from this, including open floor plans, the placement of oversized windows and furniture arrangement. Feng Shui abhors clutters, which blocks energy. Some houses have a wonderful energy. They are light, they are spotless and there is a natural flow or traffic pattern to each room. Furniture is scaled to the size of each room. These are the houses that sell almost immediately, if they are priced right.
Serenity : The purchase of a home is an emotional, as wel as major financial, undertaking. Buyers want to come home to a house they love, to help them justify the expense. Sellers need to appeal to all the buyers' senses. The house should sparkle and should smell good. No fish fries the night before an open house. (True story!)Master bedrooms should look peaceful, with beautiful bedding and no work stations. Dining rooms can set the tone for the home - formal, relaxed, or playful. With baths, think "spa". A beautiful framed mirror over a sink can give the impression of luxury. Rolled towels and fine toiletries can add to the spa feel.
Remind your sellers that selling a house is a cooperative endeavor. Together you can have some fun working to make that first impression a lasting and positive one. I welcome your comments.
Think of me when working with clients relocating to the Greater New Haven area.
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High energy RE broker with 17+ years experience. Dedicated to personal professional service, helping clients make smart choices, whether buying, selling or relocating domestically or internationally.
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Great points Millie and preparation for your client or for a property that will be selling is on equal footing as far as I am concerned.
good tips, something to keep in mind when working with sellers
Very good ideas for placing in a sellers head. A well prepared house sells quickly which mean less showing and sellers learn to hate showing really fast.
I agree with everything you said!
Great post Millie! The first 10 seconds can make or break the sale of their home. Be sure your home looks, smells, sounds and feels its best.
Good reminders Millie. Curb appeal is right in those first 10 seconds also. You can never make a second first impression.
Good advise, thanks Millie.
I t is hard for some of the sellers to realize it until they can see it in the buyers eye.
Great post and good advice. I like the mantra.
I appreciate your insight!
I believe that it lets them know how much of a professional you really are. Great post!
Make it a Great Day!
Curb Appeal -- certainly focus on the curb appeal.
I think that you hit the nail right on the head! Getting your sellers to walk a mile in the moccasins of a buyer is a very smart move! On that note, doesn't it kill you when you have a seller who you are also working with as a buyer and they slam things about the houses that they are looking at that remind you of their house? ;-)
Bob Mitchell
ValueList Real Estate Services, Inc.
So True! Appreciate you sharing this!
Millie: Your post goes right to the heart of why most home sellers would do well to hire a Professional Home Stager to help them see their home through "buyer's eyes" and help them implement the necessary changes. As a graduate of the Western School of Feng Shui, I use many feng shui concepts in my staging projects. Most home buyers can't put their finger on why a home feels "just right", but they know it when they see it (or experience it). Great post. Thanks.
This is all very true. Once a first impression is made by a potential client it will be very difficult for you to change it...make it a good one!
Congratulations on a great post!
Best Regards,
Wayne Gomillion
Good tips for working with sellers. Thanks!
Millie...
What a unique topic you have here. I like it...
And personally...I only need five of those seconds :)
TLW...ROAR!
These are very good points Millie. Your clients would be wise to heed this advice.
First impressions are everything... good points.
www.gregorygarver.com
Very good post. I like the way you put it to your sellers in advance. They do know you mean business. It's that quiet demeanor that has them listening to your every word.
Marlene
Congrats on your post. I loved it and I'm sure you make the first imprssion on them with you speech. Sounds absolutely right 100% to me. Thanks for sharing it- good points for Sellers
Millie,
Great feature. It's often those little things that really add up to a "wow" factor.
Regarding the "fish fry"---I remember one time my wonderful Southern mother was frying fish in the kitchen on a night that I had a date. She insisted that I exit out the back door and could NOT come in the kitchen at all! "You don't want that fish smell clinging to your clothes and hair!" How true lol.
All the best,
Audrey
www.SimplyStage.com
Marlene. Congrats on the feature...I love the idea of having them play the "role of potential buyer." Wonderful thoughts and insights, thanks for sharing.
Some sellers just don't value our advice. I like what you said. Maybe if sellers start seeing themselves as buyers before they put their house on the market,they will be willing to do everything possible to make the house more appealing to ready,willing and able buyers. Great post.
this is a very good post in more ways that one---first impressions really are the most important
I love the focus on serenity....Most home owners have no idea just how emotional the whole transaction is. By leading with this you are giving them fair warning. Brilliant.
Thanks
Great tips. Simple changes can make very big changes when it comes to a first impression.
It's hard to put on those buyer's eyes. I have tried it might self. It's not an easy task. We all love our memories!