Question from reader: How fast do buyers make
up their mind about your house?
Answer: Buyers make up
their minds at each step they take looking at
houses.
To Win the House Race,
Help Buyers Jump Hurdles
Selling a house is like a steeplechase race horse
jumping over hurdles. Some race horses make the
jumps look so easy; they run and jump in rhythm
under the jockey's guidance. The home seller's job
is to make home buyer's hurdles easy to jump. Home
buyers make up their minds about a house on each
step they take or every barrier they cross. As a
home seller, you need to make sure your buyer
crosses each barrier. Here are eight hurdles for
you to win the house race.
#1 Advertisement or Listing
Buyers make up their mind
about the advertisement or listing whether or not
to continue reading. That means they approve of
the basic features and price.
They must see something in the advertisement or
listing that makes the house stand out in a
crowded market. To entice a buyer to pick up the
phone and call about your house, the buyer must
read some benefit that they want. This should be
your property's best benefit to the buyer, such as
"Live across from Eagle Point Park; enjoy the
views and playgrounds" or "Move right in without
fixing or painting a thing. Owners will even help
with your costs."
#2 Yard Sign
The yard sign should look
professional and not take away from the appeal.
Many over-sized yard signs clutter the landscape. Put
the sign to the side a bit and consider a shorter
sign for smaller houses.
Instead of wasting words with
the all the amenities, make the phone number
legible from the street and list the best feature
not obvious from the curb.
#3 Sales Flyer
Perhaps someone will be
interested enough to get out of their vehicle and
pick up a sales flyer. This means that the flyer
needs to be written with sales copy that gives
motivation to see the property. A "ho-hum" generic
flyer with a long list of features should be
rewritten using Marketing Psychology with the
benefits to the buyer.
#4 Curb Appeal
When buyers pull up in front
of your house, the first glimpse must impress them
enough to get out of their vehicle to see what's
inside. For condo sellers, the development has to
pass approval and your unit should stand out with
added appeal like large potted plants near the
door in colorful containers. The typical house
needs pizzazz near the front door to draw the eye
into the house. You must entice the buyer to
cross the threshold to see what's inside.
#5 First Impressions
Inside, the typical home
shopper makes up their mind within 15 seconds
whether or not they're interested in your home.
This is why the first sighting inside must pass
inspection and peak interest.
#6 Lasting Impressions
To encourage home shoppers to
spend more than the usual four minutes
previewing a home, use home staging strategies.
Buyers select a home based on their emotions. They
choose the home they connect with and one they
think "feels like home." This just doesn't happen
in four minutes.
Homes that spark fantasy
about living in the home, enjoying a better
lifestyle, and entertaining friends help buyers
make up their minds.
#7 Easy Purchase
Buyers make offers on houses
when they feel comfortable with the paperwork. If
you're selling by owner, have a basic contract on
hand
that doesn't confuse buyers and have a closing
agent or escrow officer draw up the formal
documents later. If you're selling by agent, your agent
must be trained on how to handle negotiations
beyond just filling out forms.
#8 Keep Sale on Track
During the sale process,
monitor all the closing details. Keep your home
staged for the most important date: appraisal day.
Invite you buyers to return early in the sale for
their walk through so they stay "in love" with
your home. Make sure all the appointments are made
and kept, such as inspections, and contracts
signed on time.
Help your buyers jump the hurdles and you'll win
the house race.
Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher
Jeanette
Fisher, author of Home Staging with Design
Psychology: Sell Your Home for Top Dollar--Fast,
Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars: Fixing and
Flipping Houses with the Design Psychology Edge,
Joy to the Home, and other books, has
researched the effects of environment on emotions
for over 15 years. Besides flipping houses,
Jeanette teaches college courses on Design
Psychology and professional real estate investing
seminars. Free
Design
Psychology reports.
See another form of a
House Race
Free Content Real Estate Articles
Permission granted to publish
this real estate article as long as the bio
remains intact with live links. *You can ask us
for other keyword titles that match your real
estate content for this article. We can also
customize your articles with your city and name.
For instance, the article can end with a link to
you as the expert real estate professional in
your area.
Site Map
for Jeanette Fisher.com
Jeanette Fisher Home
*Please send us a link and
we'll reciprocate with a link from our real estate
websites when you use our free real estate
content articles.
