What a Difference a Cookie Makes

I was showing homes on Thursday, and I've come to the conclusion that a cookie can make a big difference.  We toured several properties in the same neighborhood.  The first property we walked into, the Seller had left a small plate of cookies by the brochures.  But it wasn't just the cookies - it was the whole experience she created.  Candles were lit, soft music was playing, towels were stacked neatly in the baths.  Was the home perfectly staged?  No.  The closet was filled with clothes and the children's rooms weren't neutral.  There was an odd family photo throughout the home.  But it was staged in the sense that the Seller made the home welcoming.  It felt like a happy family lived there, and loved the home, and took care of it. 

The next home we went to had beautiful new cherry hardwoods.  It had an expanded kitchen with miles of granite. It had an extra full bath. It was spotlessly clean.

But it didn't have a plate of cookies.  And there was something missing from the experience.

It's a lesson that you don't have to do everything right.  You have to do enough to make a difference in the perception of the Buyer.  Is it candles?  Is it soft music?  Or is it taking the time to love your home, and create a sense of welcome for the Buyer?  Is it something more intangible?

Or is it the cookies?