What Does a Buyer Notice First? 

We spend a lot of time getting a home ready to sell. Fresh paint. Clean windows. Pretty flowers. Decluttering. Maybe new carpet. Definitely clean bathrooms and a sparkling kitchen. But here's something I've noticed after many years of walking into homes with buyers.

They don't always notice what we expect them to notice.

I've had buyers walk into a beautifully staged living room and head straight for the windows. Another buyer may barely notice the new kitchen because they're looking out the back door to see whether the yard is fenced.

Someone else walks directly to the bookshelves. A cook notices the counter space. A gardener notices the sunlight. A person with a dog notices the door to the yard. Someone who loves entertaining starts counting how many people could sit around the dining room table. And sometimes it's something we could never predict. A beautiful old doorknob. An unusual fireplace. A window seat. The way the afternoon sun comes through a particular window. That's when a house stops being square footage, bedrooms, bathrooms and comparable sales. It becomes somebody's possible home.

As agents, we need all those facts. We need to know the roof's age, the taxes, the heating system, and what comparable properties have sold for.  But we also need to watch the buyer. Where do they stop? What do they touch? What makes them smile? What room do they go back to for a second look?  Sometimes buyers will tell you exactly what they love.  Sometimes they don't have to say a word.

And here's my question: When you're showing a home, what have you noticed buyers notice FIRST?

I'll bet the answers are all over the place.