Make Buyers Fall in Love With Your House

You’ve likely heard the old saying “You never get a second change to make a first impression.” This is especially true when selling your house. Buyers are often bombarded with information during the home buying process. That means they can sometimes be quick to eliminate houses they don’t like for the smallest of reasons. As a seller, you should consider what buyers are thinking and feeling when they come see your house. What is their experience like? Think of this as the “test drive” with the goal of making the buyer fall in love. Ultimately, you want multiple buyers to fall in love and compete with each other to make your house theirs…and be GLAD they did!

Here are 11 Ways to Make Buyers Fall in Love with Your House

How’s Your Curb Appeal? Curb appeal is the true first impression buyers get of your home, both in person and online. Tidy up your front yard, grass, landscaping, trim overgrown trees. Small improvements in this area will make a big difference.
Declutter! This one makes a huge difference. You’re moving anyway, so I recommend you get packing ASAP. Less stuff in the house will make the house look bigger and make buyers feel more welcome. Examples: remove oversized or excess furniture, clear all items from kitchen countertops, and convert any open shelving from media / book storage to be more decorative and less “full”.
Depersonalize! Remove family pictures, religious or political symbols. This helps buyers imagine themselves in the house.
Clean! This one seems obvious, but it’s tough to maintain cleanliness while living somewhere. This is another reason to start decluttering the house before you put it on the market.
Give Kitchens & Bathrooms Extra Attention! It’s common knowledge that kitchens and bathrooms are a big deal to buyers. Focusing your energy on these areas will make the biggest difference to prospective buyers.
Bad Smells Are Expensive! Strong smells of pets, cooking, or uncleanliness are a major turn off for buyers. Even some heavy cleaning chemicals or air-fresheners can be a problem. Ask your agent or friends for their honest opinions. It’s very common for sellers to get used to how their house smells, so asking your agent or friends for their honest opinion can be very helpful.
Repairs? Make cosmetic repairs such as sticky locks, little nuisances, and other minor things. Generally modest paint and flooring upgrades can go a long way. But, please don’t dump money into a house you’re trying to sell without first checking with your agent. Most people have the wrong ideas what will make a difference (see Is Remodeling My Home A Good Investment?). It’s easy to get stuck in the weeds here, especially when you’ve been living in a house for a long time. Ask your agent for their opinions.
Let There Be Light! Open blinds and curtains, replace burned out light bulbs. Use softer colored bulbs for living areas (2700k-3000k). Use brighter colored bulbs for garages and utility areas (4000k-5000k). Most importantly, don’t mix lighting colors in the same room.
Feature Your Backyard…Or Don’t! If your backyard has features that make it stand out, highlight these features. If not, do your best to tidy up your backyard so that it’s not a turn-off either.
Remove Pets! I love pets as much as anyone, but it’s sometimes best for everyone (them included) to be removed or crated during showings. This keeps the buyers and their agents focused on the house rather than not letting the cat escape.
Don’t Be Home! The number one thing you want people thinking about while in your house is, “Could I live here?” You may think you’re helping by answering their questions or giving them a personal tour, but people tend to fell less comfortable when sellers are present during showings. In fact, it’s customary for sellers to never be seen during showings. Side note: when viewing multiple homes, buyers and their agents can easily run early or late for their designated showing times. It’s best to add 15min on each side of the showing window, just to be safe.

These are just some of the ways to make buyers fall in love with your house. Every property is different, so it’s good to ask your agent where to focus your energy when preparing to put your home on the market. Also, planning ahead will make the process go much smoother…these things can take longer than you think!

If you have any questions about this or any other real estate related topic, please reach out. I’d love to help!