Help Buyers Move In Mentally

Home Selling Series — Part 1 of 7

When I first meet with a seller, they have already received my marketing plan. So instead of spending our entire appointment talking about what I’m going to do to market their home, I like to focus on something just as important:

What will buyers see and feel when they walk through the door?

I work with buyers as well as sellers, and I’ve spent many years listening to what buyers say as we tour homes. I’ve seen the little things they notice, what distracts them, and what makes them begin imagining themselves living there.

Some of the advice I give sellers may be a little different from what you’ve heard before.

That’s because I’m trying to sell a home—not simply a building to live in.

My goal is to help buyers start moving in mentally from the moment they arrive.

It Starts Before the Buyer Walks Through the Door

When I’m preparing a home for sale, I often take the seller to the front door.

Why?

When I’m showing a property, I’m standing there opening the lockbox and unlocking the door. The buyers are standing behind me waiting.

And what are they doing while they wait?

They’re looking around.

They’re noticing the front door, the light fixture, the landscaping, the paint—and yes, even the cobwebs.

I once had a seller who was also looking for her next home. As I was unlocking the front door of a property we were viewing, she looked at the doorknob and said:

“You can tell you weren’t the listing agent. Look at that tarnished doorknob.”

I had to smile. She had learned to look at a property through a buyer’s eyes.

A tarnished doorknob doesn’t tell you the condition of an entire house. But it can affect that first impression.

Buyers begin forming an opinion of your home before I ever turn the key.

Let Them See a Home, Not a Showroom

Once buyers walk inside, they usually stop for a moment and take in their surroundings.

That’s why something as simple as putting away the shoes normally left in the foyer can make a difference.

I don’t believe sellers need to remove every family photograph or make their home look like no one lives there.

People live in homes.

Family photographs, comfortable furniture and signs of everyday life can create warmth. The goal is to remove the distractions—not the personality.

I sometimes tell sellers:

You want buyers to wonder, “Does anyone really live here?” while at the same time feeling that a family does.

Organized Doesn’t Mean Empty

Closets are a perfect example.

I don’t tell sellers to empty their closets. I tell them to organize them.

A buyer should be able to open the closet door without something falling out—or the door coming off its hinges!

But I also want buyers to see that there’s room for clothing, linens, toys and everything else a family needs to store.

If there’s too much clothing in a bedroom, I’ll often suggest packing the out-of-season clothes. The seller gets a head start on moving, the room feels less crowded, and the closets show better.

Show Buyers What the Space Can Do

The kitchen is one of my favorite examples.

I ask sellers to remove as much as possible from the countertops because I want buyers to see workspace.

When I’m showing a home, I might point to a large counter and say something like:

“Look at all this room. You could roll out dough here and make cookies with the kids.”

I’m not really selling a countertop.

I’m helping that buyer picture a moment in their life.

The same principle applies to bathrooms. Whether they’re large or small, keep the area around the sink clean and uncluttered. Even accessories can make a difference. Light or clear items, such as glass soap dispensers, don’t visually cut into an already-small space.

And make sure things work. A leaking faucet or pipe, missing tile, broken exhaust fan or nonworking light can make buyers wonder what else hasn’t been maintained.

Some Things Are Better Handled Before the Home Is Listed

As I walk through a home with sellers, they often tell me about the improvements they’ve made. I’ll give my opinion and, occasionally, point out something that might not appeal to the average buyer.

The dining-room chandelier often starts an interesting conversation.

Many sellers don’t realize that a fixture may become an issue if they intend to take it with them. And sometimes that chandelier has tremendous sentimental value.

If there’s something you know you want to keep, let’s talk about it before the home goes on the market. It may make sense to replace it with something attractive and simple before buyers ever see it.

Preparing your home for sale doesn’t mean giving up the things that matter to you. Sometimes it means protecting them before you invite buyers in.

Don’t Forget the Spaces Buyers Need to Imagine

Children’s rooms should be neat, with toys and stuffed animals put away. Buyers sometimes bring their children to showings, and those toys can be awfully tempting!

Basements and garages deserve attention too.

If an unfinished basement is mostly being used for storage, pack what you’re keeping and consolidate the boxes into one area. Sometimes extra furniture from upstairs can even help buyers visualize how part of that basement might someday be used.

If the basement is finished, treat it like living space. Keep it clean and neat, and address obvious maintenance issues. If there’s evidence of an active moisture or mold problem, the cause should be properly addressed—not simply covered up.

The garage should show buyers what it can hold: a car, workbench, bicycles, lawn equipment or whatever fits the space. If there’s a garage-door opener, make sure it works. If part of the door is rotted or damaged, repair it.

Again, we’re showing buyers possibilities.

Take That Feeling Outside

The exterior deserves the same attention.

Trim overgrown bushes and trees, especially when they’re hiding the house. Weed and mulch the flower beds. If there aren’t many flowers, a couple of large pots filled with seasonal plants can add color without requiring a major landscaping project.

Broken window seals, missing siding or shingles, raised sidewalks and other visible maintenance or safety issues should be addressed when possible. Even resealing an older blacktop driveway can make a noticeable difference.

And keep the lawn mowed while the home is on the market.

Then think about the backyard.

If there’s a patio with a grill, table and chairs, clean them and make the area inviting.

Why?

Because I want buyers to look at that patio and start imagining their first barbecue in their new home.

Maybe that sounds a little corny.

But you don’t have to say it.

Just show it.

You Don’t Need to Make Your Home Perfect

Preparing a home for sale doesn’t automatically mean remodeling the kitchen, replacing every floor or spending thousands of dollars.

Sometimes something needs to be repaired.

Sometimes it needs to be cleaned.

Sometimes it needs to be organized.

And sometimes it simply needs to be packed away a little earlier than you planned.

The important thing is to stop looking at the home only as the person who lives there and begin looking at it through the eyes of the person who might buy it.

That’s what I try to help my sellers do when we walk through their home together.

Because when buyers stop simply looking at your house and start imagining where they’ll put their furniture, what they’ll store in the closets, where they’ll make cookies and where they’ll have that first barbecue…

They’ve started moving in mentally.

Marsha’s Tip

Don’t try to make your home look like nobody lives there. Make it look like there’s plenty of room for the next family to live there.

Putting You 1st Is 2nd Nature!

Next in the Home Selling Series: Part 2 — Pricing Your Home: Why the Right Price Matters From Day One