How can a laptop screensaver help you sell a home?  Well, maybe it won't make the sale, but it will help the potential buyers visualize themselves in the home.  How?  Let me show you.

Way back in the early part of this century, savvy homeowners would put seasonal pictures of the home near the fliers and information sheets.  This let the potential home buyer see what the house looked like in the different seasons and showcase possible amenities that could not be seen at that time.  

For instance, when I was shopping for a home in Massachusetts a few years ago, it was this time of year.  Spring in the Northeast is gorgeous, but nothing can hold a candle to the vibrant color of fall.  It was a great draw to be able to look at a home with budding flowers and then see pictures of what it would look like at Halloween, and again in winter.  For a buyer dreaming of a big family Thanksgiving in a new home, these pictures are another way to draw them in.

Now, speed up to 2007, where almost every home has a computer with a screensaver.  Not only can you show pictures of your home and the view from your home during the four seasons, you can also show views of your home during a party (if the home is well-equipped for entertaining) or during a backyard BBQ if that is a strong selling point of your home.  If you live in a building, you can showcase the amenities, such as the gym, movie theatre, party room, or common deck. 

You can do all this on the seller's laptop by using digital photos as a screensaver slideshow.  As buyers walk through the home, they can easily see the amenities not readily visible to them that day.  They can imagine parties at their new home, or see how great the view will be for July 4th fireworks.  Not only that, but your sellers will be advertising the amenities of the home every time they take their laptop out for business.  

It is a very small thing to do that does not cost a dime, but it can be very striking to someone walking through a home.  I saw this recently at the home of some friends and it drew my attention immediately, even though I had been to their home many times before.  They told me it was a recommendation from their agent, and because they move every few years, they were making an effort to take more pictures of their home year-round for this purpose.  They used a series of about 15 photos for the slideshow and each photo was up for about 2 seconds.

There are many programs out there to help you develop your screensaver slideshow.  My favorite it Picasa by Google, which is free (mainly because I use it to organize my pictures anyway). 

If you have tried this with your home sellers, let us know how it has worked out for you.  I just couldn't believe such a simple *free* idea could make such a big impact.  I'm starting a "home sale pictures" file in my computer now!

Photos taken last summer from my private, rooftop deck - the best feature of my home!