Sellers: Do You Have "Buyer's Eyes"?
When I meet with a homeowner for the first time, we talk about the importance of "buyer's eyes", this is especially important if the homeowner has lived in their home for 10+ years. (The market has changed A LOT in that time frame.) The court of public opinion begins with the photographs of your home.
What is "buyer's eyes" you may ask? Buyer's eyes is looking at your home as a buyer would. How would your home compare with the other homes in the neighborhood, in the school district, or in the city that you live in? Is your home above all the rest in amenities, location, features, and projected price point?
Just as important is "buyer's nose". I can tell from the moment I walk in if a pet is present. Especially if it is a strong dog smell or I can smell the kitty litter. The best surprises are when the house is so clean that I don't know a pet lives there at all. You would be surprised by the number of potential buyers that will cross a home off the list if they see dog food bowls in the kitchen or a leash hanging in the mudroom or a pet bed of any kind. Too many allergies, worries about pet dander or smell from pets that are not going potty where they should.
A homeowner is immune to the pet smells and they are used to seeing their home as their prized possession. The second that your home is photographed and put on the market, it becomes a product. It is compared and sized up to the current properties on the market in the same price range. The buyer may not add any value to the irrigation system, the sound system for the home theater room, or the updated kitchen that you had to have with top of the line appliances.
It is important to create distance and gain objectivity when selling your home. Not everyone will love your choice of carpet color. Not everyone will love the tile that you chose for the foyer. There will even be buyers that will nitpick at those lovely trees that you have because trees mean leaves in the fall which equals work to a buyer.
Positioning your home on the market takes all of these things into consideration. And little adjustments may need to be made in the first couple of weeks depending on the market and the inventory. If a house across the street comes onto the market a week after yours and is priced lower and shows better, you have some thinking to do. The buyers will likely still view both homes because of proximity, but the micro-market has changed and adjustment is inevitable.
Don't let your home be the one that is used to sell the others. Stay in the market, not above it. I create a buyer search for my sellers so that they can see the new listings just as a buyer would. It gives perspective and reality to the current market and how quickly it can change.
If you keep thinking like a buyer, you will be able to position your home in front of the best buyers. Condition, showing availability and price are completely in the seller's control. The photos of your home will get the buyers to come and look. Let's show them the sparkle.
Keep smiling!
Karen
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