Much has been written about the power of home staging to visually present a home at its best for purpose of a quicker and more profitable sale. What a buyer sees when they tour the home makes an incredible impact on the buyer's impression of the property. But let's not neglect the other senses.
- Hearing - Road noise? Eerie silence? Both can be a distraction. Playing appropriate music during showings and open houses can help. Need ideas? Visit a Pottery Barn and view their compilation CD's. Jazz and classical are good contenders as well. Base your selection on your target buyers' demographic. Be sure to play it at a background noise level. After all, there is no need to rock the house, just sell it!
- Touch/Feel - Is the home too cold? Too warm? Either way the buyer will feel a negative sense about the home and not want to stay long. Keep the home at a comfortable temperature at all times. Resist the temptation to set your programmable thermostat to save on heating or cooling costs. Home showings can happen at any time!
- Smell - If you can smell it, you can't sell it (sorry for the over-used cliché!). This includes pets, cooking spices, fish, laundry, mold, bathroom "issues", fireplace soot, and so on. What to do about it? First step - ask trusted friends to sniff your home and give you honest feedback. Then, eliminate the source(s), at least while your home is on the market. For example, ship poochie off to grandmas, do laundry more frequently, throw wet towels in the dryer when you leave in the morning, clean out the fireplace, and use this as a good excuse to eat out more often! Don't try to cover up smells with sprays or air fresheners. They can be just as offensive.
- Taste - I don't imagine anyone is out there taking a bite out your drywall...but do have some wrapped candy or cookies available during an open house. It has been said that the best way to the heart can be through the stomach! Can't hurt to try!
- "Sixth" Sense - This is the cumulative effect of all the other fives senses. This is the "big one" that will keep your home in the buyer's memory as they continue their tour of homes. In a competitive market, you need all the senses working for you!
If your home is for sale, be sure to pay attention to all your senses. What you can't see CAN hurt when it comes to selling your home!
Awesome Susan -- fun to read and oh, so true! I really liked the sixth sense. That right or wrong "feeling" one gets. very good to point that out!
Hey, New picture? I like it!
Temperature and smell are the biggest reasons people don't buy foreclosures this time of the year. They smell musty before the home makes it on the market and then are really cold because they winterize and don't heat them.
Great Post Susan!
Bret/Meredith - thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Terry - good point about melt-proof candy! I can't believe the REA didn't even stop in over the summer!
Karen - that's the only way I can describe the 6th sense...it's EVERYTHING! And yes, new pic...the other one was going on 5 years old, and I felt like it was false advertising. Just had a B-day, so I figured why not face the music!
Ira - you're making me hungry!
Daniel - Great point about foreclosures! They deserve some love too...especially if you want to get them sold!
Susan, I can't say for sure the agent didn't stop in but the A/C had never been connected and the unit was completed in January. I also provided the owner with a punch list, that should have been done by the agent. Just another agent in my book who prefers only to list and not sell!
Terry - ahhh. Bummer. Btw - hope you're enjoying FL weather...it's freakin' freezing up here! ;)
Fernando - Yes, scents can be good, but in moderation! I have a major aversion to Vanilla - ick!
Hi Kathy - Thanks! It's tough to quantify "it feels right" - isn't it!
Gary - I agree! A home can look wonderful, but if it stinks, and the 6th sense is telling you to bug out, that overwhelms the positive!
Susan - OK, the pictures alone speak volumes on this post! You didn't leave a stone unturned in this one and I'm with you - if the scents are too strong, get me outa' there!
Jackie