Do Your Buyers Hear What You Hear?

Do you hear what I hear?  Buying decisions are emotional.  Marketers have studied this for years and one thing we know for sure, if we want to stimulate the buying response, we need to tap into buyers' EMOTIONS.  

Home sellers can tap into the emotions of their prospects, simply by employing a little psychology and appealing to the 5 senses. In Love at First Sight I shared how to trigger the buying response by appealing to buyers' sense of sight.  EVERYTHING a buyer sees AND EVERYWHERE a buyer looks in your home has the potential to stimulate a positive [or negative] emotion. In Common Scents I discussed how the way a house smells can either attract or repel your home buying prospects. Today I will share how to engage buyers' sense of hearing.

So what does your house sound like? If its something you've never thought much about, then now is a really good time to consider - what will your buyers hear [and possibly be distracted by] when they enter your home? 

Is your home peaceful and tranquil? If you live on a quiet country road where all you can hear are the birds singing off in the distance - then do what you can to maximize this wonderful selling feature.  Avoid playing loud or distracting music and keep the TV off while your house is being shown.  

Do you live on a busy street with cars and trucks whizzing by at all hours?  Do you live near railroad tracks or an airport? Even though you might have grown accustomed to it, traffic noise can be a huge turn off to potential buyers. Your Realtor might even suggest pricing your house lower to reflect this negative feature. Even if your house is priced appropriately, there's still more you can do to overcome this obstacle. Jeannette Fisher, author of the book Design Psychology for Redesign and Home Staging offers some suggestions..... 

You can try masking the street noise or the sound of your neighbor's barking dog by introducing other sounds, always taking into consideration your selling season. Water falls and oscillating fans contribute a welcome feeling of coolness on a hot summer day, while crackling fires add a feeling of warmth and relaxation when it's cold. And a bubbling water fountain or soft wind chimes can offer the feeling of peace and tranquility in any season. 

Playing music can also help to mask the unappealing noise around you, but be sure you consider your target buyer's taste when making your selection. Playing soft background music can relax and lift the spirits of your prospects as they hum along to a familiar tune. If you have a spa in your house, you may want to consider playing a CD of the sounds of the rainforest to convey the feeling of a luxurious tropical escape.  But don't get carried away.  Avoid playing loud music which can be jarring and too much of a distraction. 

In my next post I will be discussing ways to engage the sense of touch.....

 

                                                          

 

Karen Bernetti is a Real Estate Stager, Former Realtor®, Author, Speaker, and Owner of Staging4Smooth Transitions - specializing in assisting seniors with their downsize moves.  

Karen is also the Co-creator of the Ready2Sellin30Days® System - an innovative, interactive, multi-media educational program designed to teach do-it-yourself homeowners EVERYTHING they need to know about preparing a home for sale during tough economic times.  Visit www.Ready2Sellin30Days.com to learn more. 

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