“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”. ― Emma Lazarus
This quote by American poet Emma Lazarus which is emblazed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty exemplifies the ultimate Welcome Home sign. It says to everyone that approaches it, “Please enter and make this place your new home.”
So now you are trying to sell your home. You want to make a good impression. Shouldn’t every visitor to your home should be treated with the same respect that an immigrant is offered by the Statue of Liberty?
One of the best places to start welcoming the visitors to your home is the front door. For most people, the front door is the place where you make your first impression. Nothing turns a buyer off more than walking up to a house and seeing a messy or ugly front door.
Before they go in the potential buyer must open the front door. But what if the door is broken? Dirty or in need of paint? What if the lock does not work properly and is hard to open? What will be your home’s first impression?
As both a home buyer and seller I can attest to what happens when the first impression leaves the buyer thinking. “I will have to fix that.” It immediately signals the house needs work. “What else is wrong?”
A few days ago, I showed a prospective buyer a house that was being flipped by an investor. It was in a good location, nice floorplan and the seller had invested a significant amount of money on new flooring, a kitchen remodel, and new paint, among other repairs. Yet they failed at the most basic step in remarketing this property. The front door.
When I approached the door I was turned off by the fact that the screen door was filthy. It had rust in the corners and cobwebs on the screen. The large wooden front door was equally as bad. While it at one time it was likely a grand entrance, a golden door, on that day it looked sad and tired. At a minimum, a good cleaning and fresh coat of paint would have improved the look.
At some point, a buyer will come along and look past the first impression and make an offer on this house. But it was not this day or this buyer. We moved on to another property.
My advice to home sellers and listing agents across the globe? Be like the Statue of Liberty. Welcome, all comers with hope and respect. Offer them the feeling of hospitality. Help them see the house as a home, not a project.
“A good first impression can work wonders”. J. K. Rowling
Joe Domino is a Realtor® serving the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. Need more information? Or to Search for your next home, visit www.Scottsdale-AZHomes.com
Comments(20)