Question after home seller's teleseminar: Jeanette, you said that we need buyers to connect with our home and get them to look longer. How do you keep buyers looking at your home?
Answer by Jeanette Joy Fisher
In a buyer's market, home buyers feel no pressure to make an offer and expect to preview many properties. Typical home shoppers rush through a home in three to four minutes. This short time gives them little time to connect emotionally with your home. If you can tempt home shoppers to spend more time looking at your home, they will begin to feel like they've invested time in your home. Plus, they may begin to daydream about where their possessions will go.
That's your goal when showing your home--to get buyers to imagine living in your home. People will pay more for a home they fall in love with and can't wait to move into. The key to keep buyers looking at your home is to make it feel like their home instead of your home.
To get buyers to imagine their grandmother's clock or sofa in your living room, you need to allow plenty of empty space. This is where so many home stagers miss the mark; they think they need to fill a home with furniture.
On the other hand, many real estate investors paint a fixer all white, install boring beige carpeting, and show a stark house with no accessories to spark the imagination.
Keep in mind, buyers spend more time in a home where they can relax and feel that they are not intruding in your space.
Beyond Home Staging Tips
Of course, you know to deep clean and declutter your home. Beyond these steps, take YOU out of the home. Pack up accessories like family photos and anything that doesn't speak to a buyer. You want the buyer to imagine their possessions in the space.
In today's cooler weather, you can leave more furnishings which help make your home feel warmer. Remove furniture that makes the space feel crowded. One you've lightened your rooms, take a critical look. You might want a friend to come in and help you evaluate the space. If the home feels sparse instead of "homey," add accessories that will make your potential buyer feel at home. For instance, a game table with a chess set for upscale buyers or a family board game for first-time home buyers. Add warm Afghan-throws and warm-colored pillows on the sofa facing the TV to suggest cozy comfort.
What you should do is to stage suggestions of happy living in your home. Adding suggested activities to your home gives buyers something to look at and keeps your buyers in your home longer than four minutes. You just might get them imagining their new home!
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Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher
Home Staging Information