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It's First Impression Time! When All Else Fails For You? YOU CAN SMILE...What is your "Listed Home" To Do?

By
Real Estate Agent with Broker Associate/Realtor/ISA with Nouveau Riche

 

                                                  http://www.raiderweb.org/51142011152201890/

 

Selecting a home is not a logical undertaking for most buyers. Most buyers are very swayed by the initial emotions they feel when they first walk through the door of a potential new home. Almost instantly, the home either feels right or feels wrong.   

Rarely do people warm up to a home. They receive a first impression and in short order they believe a home is "it" - or it's not. That first impression can be the beginning of a sales success, or it can be a prohibitive factor that you'll find hard to overcome.

I remember hearing my mother tell the story of helping my grandmother find a home to buy. They had looked at a number of homes before they walked into one that my grandmother liked. In fact, within two minutes she was dancing around the house saying, "This is the one I am going to buy. I want to buy this house now."  All logic went out the window the moment she found the comfort, warmth, and space for her large dining room furniture.          

It didn't matter that the home was  next Clipart - money out the  window. fotosearch  - search clipart,  illustration,  drawings and vector  eps graphics imagesdoor to a car wash with loud air blowers (fortunately, my grandmother was hard or hearing).  It didn't matter that it was about 100 feet from a major street with extensive traffic.  It felt right to her, and she bought it that day.

Good first impressions, feelings, and emotions control the sale, and logic takes a distant second place in the decision process.                                                                                                                  

Enhancing the first glance                     House

A home has ten seconds to make a first impression. All the senses are in play, and either a home passes or fails the initial test.     

                                                                                                                                                                                        1950s vintage image of a couple.                               

 

Use this advice to positively engage all the senses in the first moments of the buying experience:

  • Scent. Fill the home with smells that invoke feelings of comfort, warmth and calmness. Suggest that the sellers bake cookies or bread or with something that fills the home with a warm honey-like aroma prior to presentations. If your clients aren't quite Martha Stewart types, suggest that they put a few drops of vanilla on some aluminum foil in a warm oven. Or, create a positive aroma with potpourri or incense. 

                                                                    http://www.bluemailboxfarm.com/farmactivities.htm

  • Sound. Play soft, soothing music that is considered pretty-much universally acceptable, such as classical pieces with limited instruments or even just piano music. Gangster rap would be unadvisable. If the home has sound wired throughout each room, your music selections also give you an opportunity to demonstrate a feature of the home. 

                           

  • Ambiance. Ask the sellers to create a visually inviting environment. Suggest that they prepare a nicely set dining room table. Suggest that they place flower arrangements in various rooms. Even recommend that they build a fire in the fireplace.

                                                                                                                 

  • Brightness. Open all the blinds and draperies to let in natural light and make the home appear larger. Also turn on lights in corner areas to pull the eye to the perimeter of the room and provide a sense of expanded space.

                                                                              Pink Window Curtains On a Rod

OH and Here are a couple more tips:

1. Stand outside, in front of the front door to the home.  Look up and around, what do you see? Spiderwebs? Dead bugs? Dried Dog Doo Doo? How clean is the window on the storm door?

This is exactly what the buyer will see for THEIR FIRST IMPRESSION!

2. Be sure to arrive before your clients if you are the Buyers Agent, and if someone is still living in the home.  This gives you a few moments to run around and put down toilet lids, throw something in the closet thats lying in the middle of the room, pick up some trash or dirty towels that the kids left on the floor? OR like I discovered a few weeks back: dried up dog doo in the basement lower level (guarantee the seller never ran down there to check before the showing  LOL

3. Always carry a FIRST AID Kit; if you will and I don't mean just band-aids (though that could come in handy) how about toilet paper? air freshener or spray? couple of doggie treats (in case you encounter grumpy dogs or barking dogs in cages) and a roll of paper towels and windex or some sort of spray cleaner.  You never can tell when these items come in handy FOR YOU.  Remember you are not doing these ER tips and tricks for the Selling Agent; you are doing this for YOU and YOUR BUYER. If the FIRST IMPRESSION BOMBS and you could have pulled off a simple "save"; then shame on you; you should have been more prepared.

ONLY MY OPINION OF COURSE

Ron Tarvin
Residential, Investment properties, rehab projects, property management, luxury homes, new construction! - Katy, TX
Broker, Katy, Houston, Cypress 77450,77494,77095

That is very interesting.  I know showing agents who won't bother to turn lights on, let alone any "quick fixes".  Guess they don't see the benefit to a quick decistion from a buyer.

Jun 12, 2008 10:17 PM
Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

Patti, another thing that has knocked out homes on their first impression is funky floor plans. Walls in the wrong spot, two many ups and downs in the stairs, the general layout of the house. Sometimes EVERYTHING like you mentioned is great but it has a TERRIBLE floorplan.

Jun 13, 2008 12:24 AM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

Patti:  I've got a tricky listing now that is going to fail on most first impressions....and I fear there is nothing i can do about it.  The client runs a daycare out of her home.  Rather than keep it as neat as we can, we are compensating with a major price reduction.  First impressions mean so much. 

Jun 13, 2008 03:49 PM
Paddy (Patricia) Pizappi
Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty - Pine Bush, NY
Real Estate Associate Broker Hudson Valley NY

You are right but sometimes the weirdest things make it the right house.  I like to suggest changes that might make the wrong house the right house and like them see possibility if reality is not so nice.  Good post

Jun 13, 2008 10:52 PM
* Rate A Home
Rate A Home - Saugatuck, MI

Patti, first impressions are so important, but emotional buying can lead to wrong choices. Great post.

Jun 13, 2008 11:47 PM
Patti A. Puckett
Broker Associate/Realtor/ISA with Nouveau Riche - Belvidere, IL

Ron, oh not many realtors I know do any of the things I do; LOL---I do profess to be a leader, innovater and eternal optimist  haha  surely not everything I do works? BUT it never stops me from continuing to innovate and try; thanks for stopping and if it pertains? Happy Fathers Day

 

Hi Duane--Oh I quite agree, emotional buying has it faults and I would never agree with someone for the SAKE OF; knowing in my heart , the decision is not right for them.  However, I am sure you will agree that when we find the "overboard" analytical folks; or the very nervous and frightened ones that sometimes need a warm and loving NUDGE?  I think to myself: GOSH I wish these buyers were more "emotional"  ha ha..I believe in my heart that I have a gift for KNOWING  when the home I am going to show a client is THE ONE............It would take a couple of pages to explain why I believe that? though I have 5 examples to prove it. Clients that will tell you that before we arrived at a showing; I had shared with them that (although I might be wrong)  my gutt tells me? THIS IS THE ONE FOR YOU; and after the offer is accepted, they have all turned to me and said: "You were right Patti, you were so right"   Duane; you are a dear poster and new friend and I thank you for all the kind comments you make on my posts;  YOU TOO; if it pertains to you?  I wish you a lovely and Happy Fathers Day

Jun 14, 2008 05:04 PM
Patti A. Puckett
Broker Associate/Realtor/ISA with Nouveau Riche - Belvidere, IL

Gary----I absolutely agree with you.....my post of course is based on the ASSUMPTION that ALL is right with the property selection; now in regards to CRAZY floor plans?  OH MY WORD; don't you just want to shout sometimes: "WHAT WERE YOU THINKIN?  "    LOL          Once again Gary; Happy Fathers Day, and thanks again for sharing your father that you obviously cared deeply for; YEP you will be with him again someday

Jun 14, 2008 05:07 PM
Michele Hess
Simply Staged Inc. - Rockford, IL
Home Stager Rockford - Simply Staged Inc

Excellent Post Patti!  I agree with you about the importance of "first impression".  As a stager I address this with both existing and vacant home sellers. 

Jun 16, 2008 12:54 PM