One of the hardest challenges in selling your house is detaching the emotional bonds you have developed with your home over the years. I know it may sound crazy to some of you, but people do actually create feelings toward objects such as homes. And it's these feelings that can sometimes color your view about the other person, or in this case the house.
Let me give you a few examples. While visiting a friend recently, I was perplexed by the "Welcome" I received as I strolled up to her front door. As you can see from the picture, my dear friend couldn't part with the joy she had found four months ago in the way of a Holiday Greetings door mat. Needless to say, a buyer would be wondering what else has been left undone in this house. Or how about this one. Have you ever gone to visit a friend who owns a dog, and as soon as you enter their house you feel like your nose is under assault from the musty scent of wet dog hair, or worse yet . . . urine? These are but a few of the countless number of little things that have disappeared from the vision of many sellers. But don't be fooled. Just because the seller can't see them any more doesn't mean the buyer's critical eye won't see them. To most potential buyers, they are like flashing lights on a radar screen warning them to beware.
So what's a seller to do? Well the first step is to view your house with your hands. That's right, your hands! Turn off all the lights in your home and leave as if you were going somewhere, ie. lock up etc. Now, pull back into your driveway, but do not go into the garage. Instead, go to the front door as if your were thinking about buying your home. At this point, start to take notice where your hands are. Take the time to ring the door bell. Did you notice that you had to look for the door bell before you touched it? Did you slow down enough to notice that the button is cracked or the light is burnt out? Were there cobwebs on the button? Is the button attached to a nicely painted piece of trim around the door, or is there a button at all?
Next, unlock the door. Does the key turn smoothly as you unlock it? Is there a shiny new handle to grab, or a rusted beat up one instead? Is there paint on the handle? How about on the door where the handle housing should be. Has the handle slipped down and exposed an unpainted surface on the door? Do you have to shove the door open, or can you open it with ease?
Now step inside and look for the light switch as if you had never been in your house before. Reach for the light switch and turn on the lights. Notice how this simple task of entering your home has caused your eyes to follow your hands everywhere they go. This is exactly what will be happening when the potential buyer comes to view your house.
The biggest difference is, a potential buyer will be creating a series of first impressions every time they touch something. The key is to have most of those first impressions be positive. If you can do that, and your home is competitively priced, your home will not be on the market for very long.
Our most recent house is a great example of this. We put it on the market and had a showing scheduled the very next day, mainly due to the photos of the house on MLS. The potential buyer and her realtor arrived and viewed the house for a total of eight minutes, after which she made a full price offer on the house. The house had nine showings in three days with multiple full price offers.
So take the time to slow down and view your home with your hands. It will make a world of difference in the way you see your house, which will in turn help you to know what needs to be fixed so you can make a great first impression on potential buyers. Don't have the desire, time, or money to fix up your house and create a great first impressions? That's not a problem either. Feel free to give us a call at 919-765-6004. We would love the opportunity to make you an offer on your house no matter what kind of condition it is in. Or fill out our Sell Your House form and we'll be happy to contact you.
Selling Your Home
