Psychology of home selling:

How to make your house more appealing before a buyer has even walked through your front door.

 

Psychologists say that we make up our minds about a person within the first fifteen seconds of meeting them. And the same is true when viewing a house. It’s likely a prospective buyer will have made up their mind before they’ve even walked through your front door. So making sure that first impression is the right one is all important.

 

A lot has been written about how to style the interior of your house – the smell of coffee floating through the air, the use of mirrors so the buyer can literally see themselves there. But not much is said about the front exterior. Which could in reality be what makes or breaks your sale.

 

The key is to think like a buyer. Get inside their head and see your home through their eyes, starting with before they’ve even left their own.

 

Pre viewing

Even before a potential buyer has come to see your house, the first thing they are likely to do is view photos of your property online. Even the look of the outside of your house can put someone off or draw them in. So take a photo of your house as it is and ask yourself “what do you see?” Have a look at your real estate agent’s current listings and check the quality of their photography. If it isn’t up to scratch take the time to take some yourself or even get a friend or family member to help; it could mean the difference between ten viewings and none. Always use photos taken on a sunny day, the light will make your property look much more appealing.

 

Pavement appeal

Next, think about the approach to your house. As the buyer walks towards your house they will be asking themselves ‘could I live here?’ So you need to do everything you can to make that answer a resounding ‘Yes’. Go outside and approach your house as a buyer would. What do they see? The broken fence, the cracked paving stones and how about that ugly old door?  The major elements to focus on are the walkway up to your house, the front door and any random ornaments. As mentioned below you need to depersonalise each space including the front garden and walkway.

 

The door is a different matter entirely, if you can’t update your current one (paint, strip etc) to the necessary standards definitely consider replacing it. Make sure the new one is of the same period and isn’t a garish colour; green is usually advisable according to REMAX, otherwise look at other equivalent properties in the area for pointers.

 

From here on in, the rules to styling the outside of your house are exactly the same as they are inside. De-clutter and Depersonalise.

 

De-clutter

With less than a minute to make a great impression you have to make sure nothing gets in the way. Move the rubbish bins or recycling tubs out of the way. Tidy up your garden and clear out any detritus. If it’s covered in weeds, take the time to pull them all up and perhaps think about putting pebbles down. They’re a cheap alternative to pavements and can hide a multitude of sins. And finally make sure you clear out your gutters – a prospective buyer is going to notice if they’re full of leaves.

 

Depersonalise

You want to make it as easy as possible for the buyers to envision themselves coming home to your house every day. So remove anything that could act as a barrier to their imagination. If possible, move your car so they can picture their own car in the drive. And if you have any decorations in your front garden make sure they could be of everyone’s tastes. Sorry, but those cute gnomes have to go. Make the styling neutral and fresh and clean.

 

Once you’ve gone to the effort of giving your house great kerb appeal, make sure whoever is showing the buyers around brings them in through a specific pre-defined route rather than round the back. Or it will have all been for nothing!

No matter why you made the decision to put your property on the real estate market, it

is time to get your head together and understand the psychology of making a sale

happen.

At the point you made the decision to sell, your home became a product or commodity.

While the decision is very emotional, the action is not. A lot of Sellers simply don't

understand this difference. The results are undue expectations, frustrations, sleepless

nights, self-doubts, and a whole slew of other emotions. Granted, sometimes it is very

difficult to remove the emotional aspect from selling what is most likely your largest

asset, but to be successful - especially in the current Buyer's market - you really need

to make the effort.

First, stop thinking of your current property as "home." This change-in-thought will

enable you to take down family photos and remove family heirlooms. Take away the

physical emotional aspects and change the environment.

Your "home" will move with you to your new location, even if you don't already have it

picked out. "Home is where the heart is," right? Go ahead, make the emotional break

now.

Second, further depersonalize your property by disavowing "house" and "property".

Both of these words denote possession. Your current residence is now a "product" or a

"commodity" - a thing to be sold, hopefully for profit. A thing you won't have to be

involved with in the future. Transfer your "home" thoughts to your new property in

advance of moving in. If you haven't found your new "home" yet, that's OK - you will.

Just keep the thoughts of "home" in mind for the new place.

Now that you understand the transformation of your current "home" to a commodity, it

will be easier for you to look at the condition of the commodity with a more objective

eye. Go stand in the street. Take a close look at your commodity. Is it in the best

condition possible to make you the most profit? How does it stack up against your

neighbors' commodities? Sometimes just a little tweaking can net an offer. Does your

commodity have curb appeal? Will potential buyers want to see what's inside? If the

answer is "no", spend a few dollars and spruce up the front of the yard. Attractive,

quality shrubs and flowers will make a world of difference. Buyers' eyes are naturally

drawn to color, especially yellow, red, and purple. Congregate these colors along the

front walkway. Place a pot of red flowers to the left of the front door.

The curb appeal should be enough to get a potential Buyer to want to further

investigate your commodity. The idea is to get the Buyer to begin to think of your

commodity as their "home". This thought should get them through the front door.

Once through the front door, the real psychology begins. You don't usually know a

potential Buyer, so you don't have any idea what color schemes appeal to them or

anything about their lifestyle. However, most Buyers can easily envision their tastes,

their lifestyle, their family photos, their furniture if they are viewing an area devoid of

the Seller's personal photos, knick-knacks, mementoes, and personal color schemes.

The idea is to give the Buyer a blank slate. Allow them to fill in the space. Remove as

much of your personality as possible. Remember, you are selling an emotionless

commodity.

A few other generalities to transform your "home" to a "commodity": Remove any odors

you may not even realize are there; clean, clean, clean; repair any broken items;

remove all personal clutter; and promote a welcoming atmosphere.

If the Buyer is a female/male couple, most often, it is the female who makes the final

decision to buy a particular property. There is just something that sets one address

apart from all of the others she has seen. Most often, she won't even be able to identify

what that something is. She just knows that she has come "home". Congratulations.

You have successfully removed your "home".

It's not always easy to make the transition from "home" to "commodity," but if you can

do this, you can sell your commodity in this Buyer's market - often in less time than

most others are sold. Good luck.

Denial is like a shiny, seductive bubble -- it offers psychological shelter from unpleasant realities until

you're ready to come to grips with them. But, if you are selling your home, it can be your worst

enemy, and you could be in for a long stay on the market. But someone else's wishful thinking can

work to your advantage -- if you can wake up and face the facts before your competition does, and

do what it takes to sell your home in the real world.

"The delusion is that the market is getting better," says Linda Bonarelli Lugo of Realty Executives

North Shore in Huntington. That's only partly true, she says. "We are having more sales, but the

pricing has not increased."

That is true in Nassau County, where in February the median home sales price of $380,000

represented a 3.8 percent decrease from the prior year. Suffolk County reported a slight increase for

February -- the median home sales price was $304,250 compared to $300,000 the prior year,

representing a 1.4 percent uptick.

Sellers want to believe their homes will be the exception; experts say good luck with that. "There's a

certain kind of schizophrenia," says Diane Saatchi, senior vice president with Saunders & Associates

Real Estate. "Why is it the house you no longer want is worth more than market value, while the

house you're dying to have should be had at a discount? It's not that I want to be rude, it's just that

it's not going to happen."

With the coming of the spring market, it's time to burst your own bubble. Here are five things shrewd

homeowners should do if they want to sell their homes this year:

1. BREAK UP WITH YOUR HOUSE

Delusion: Everyone will love my home as much as I do.

Reality: "The buyer sees all the other houses in the same neighborhood with the same amenity list --

the seller only sees one," says Saatchi. Tame your emotions and your ego. Feeling attached,

ambivalent, proud or defensive about your home will cloud your judgment. "You want the buyer to be

emotional, not you," she says.

So before you list, break up -- including the part where you take your stuff back.

Removing personal items will clear the way for buyers to picture themselves there, and it will also

help you make the mental transition from owner to seller. The home should remain decorated

enough to look inviting, but devoid of personal items such as family photos. That detachment is key --

it will give you the distance and perspective to make good decisions. While other sellers are still

struggling to accept the realities of the market -- and making time-consuming mistakes -- you'll be

able to make an accurate comparison and make yours the most attractive deal on the first try.

2. BE THE BOSS OF YOUR LISTING

Delusion: I can leave everything up to my broker.

Reality: It's tempting to seek out a professional who will tell you what you want to hear -- or one who

promises to take over the process and wake you when it's over. You'll have to be more proactive

than that if you want good results, says Saatchi. "You have to realize you're making a business

transaction," says Saatchi. "You don't want the broker who says your house is wonderful and gives

you a high price. You want the one who has sold houses and can be businesslike."

Listening to professional advice is key, but "the seller has to be participating in the discussion," says

Bonarelli Lugo. Speak up, do your homework and work with your agent to make informed decisions.

3. DITCH THE DEDUCTIONS

Delusion: I don't have to do the work -- buyers will see the potential.

Reality: House hunters will mentally chip away at your asking price for each flaw they spot -- so

declare war on the warts. Not everything has to be brand-new, but any big-ticket items that still have

life left in them should be restored to their best possible condition so they don't falsely announce

themselves as needing immediate replacement or repair. Why let buyers argue that they'll need a

$3,000 discount to install new carpets if a professional cleaning could make yours look great for

$300?

"Fix it if it's fixable," says Saatchi. But no faking it -- if there's a problem you won't be repairing,

disclose it, she says. Use attention and elbow grease to create an overall impression of cleanliness

and care. But don't go crazy; a major kitchen remodel isn't necessarily worth it because you can't

predict buyers' tastes, says Saatchi.

4. CASH IN ON OTHERS' MISTAKES

Delusion: My home is worth my asking price, and my price is worth waiting for.

Reality: A house is worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it. Sellers are notorious for overestimating

their homes' values -- then finding out the hard way that they've misjudged. Skip the long learning

curve. Look at the prices of homes similar to yours that are languishing on the market and then at the

prices of those that have sold. Ask yourself which group you want to be in -- then price it that way.

"Sold properties in the area represent the reality of what's going on," says Don Scanlon, Long Island

Board of Realtors president. "Not what people are asking, but sold properties. Those are the facts."

There's more at stake here than just taking a while to sell. While you're waiting, a low sale or

foreclosure in the neighborhood could strike a major blow to your home's value.

5. MAKE THEM SWOON

Delusion: It will either feel like home to a buyer or it won't, and it's out of my hands.

Reality: Certain homes meet all the criteria but only make the "maybe" list. Others have that special

something that give buyers the butterflies -- that warm, fuzzy and slightly panicky sensation that

walking out the door without making an offer could be the biggest mistake of their lives. It feels

magical, but it's not -- it's physical, and you can copy it.

The best way to understand the effect is to visit competing open houses, or pay attention during your

own house hunt. When you find a home that makes your heart sing, dissect your feelings and

impressions step by step -- then try to identify the physical things that evoked them. "All our senses

kick in," says Bonarelli Lugo. "Buying a house is an emotional purchase, and you have to appeal to

the purchasers' emotions."

The source of that "homey" feeling might be carefully constructed curb appeal that can be broken

down into parts -- a freshly painted front door, neatly trimmed shrubs, a clean-swept walk. The

"cheery" kitchen may boil down to squeaky-clean windows that let the sun shine in and a bouquet of

yellow flowers. If you can put your finger on the details that really pushed your buttons and try to

replicate them, you just might be able to elicit the type of emotional response in a buyer that can

translate into an offer.