Most people use an intuitive process to make a decision. Instead of taking time to weigh facts and implications, people usually decide on a course of action based on gut feeling and emotion. Intuitive decision-making takes moments to accomplish, which means that most home buyers know whether or not they like the house before getting out of the car. This is why curb appeal is so important and why sellers cannot afford to overlook the little things that can make or break the sale.
Flowers can Make the Sale
Landscaping is one of the first things a prospective buyer will see. You can earn a more than 200 percent return on your landscaping investment, according to Fox Business. Lantana, a hardy annual flower, only costs a few dollars for a large plant. Landscapers recommend that you give some time for the plants to take root and look nice. Try to give three to six months from the time of landscaping to the time of listing. If you are in a pinch and need quick curb appeal, go to the local nursery and get whatever is on sale. You can either pot flowers, placing them strategically throughout the front, or put shrubs them into the ground.
Make it Sparkle
When mentoring fledgling real estate agents, Realtor Peter “Uncle Pete” McGlade would advise to shine the doorknob. The logic was that one of the first things that everyone would see was the doorknob. A house does not need to be spotless to sell; as a matter of fact, a livedin feel is good for the homey vibe. But the house does need to be attractive. A study of Dallas-Fort Worth homes showed that each one-point increase in the researcher’s attractiveness rating yielded an associated 7.7 percent increase in the sales prices.
Have a Drop Zone
Lived-in is okay, but messy is not. Do everything you can to make your home appear airy, open and uncluttered, even if you are still living in it. Make sure that your window treatments are new, clean and open to let in natural light. Create a drop zone where the family can place day-to-day objects without them becoming an eyesore. Having a drop zone in the foyer and one in the kitchen to remove the natural buildup of random stuff that can distract a potential home buyer from the nice features of the house.
Take A Child’s Eye View
Children are great sales people. When talking about intuitive decision making, children are the masters of emotional decision processes. Fun trumps location any day for a child. Look at your house the way that a child would. If you have children, ask them what they like about the house then have your realtor feature that as a kid friendly element. Make your home safe for a child to explore and discover cool aspects that you may not have even considered. Let the children do the selling for you.
Thank you for posting. Will definitely give these a try as I try to sell my home. I really like the child’s eye point of view!
When we sold our rental home last few years ago, we put some flowers in front in our house to look more attractive. And also we double checked the door knob, lights and windows because it’s just one thing that the buyer would first check on the house.