Week before last I spun a yarn (going with the ‘lamb’ theme again) with buyers about allowing their emotions to have some say in the home buying process. Let’s weave this in to how emotions apply to sellers.
Whether you’ve lived in your house for five years or twenty-five years, I’m sure you can come up with quite a list of things you love about it. Some of these were the reason you bought it in the first place, and some have come to fruition as you’ve grown in to, and possibly out of, the space you call home. These are the first things you need to be telling your Realtor!
Nothing sells a home like putting potential buyers in your shoes. What are your favorite features? What’s your favorite local gem? Of all the changes you’ve made what stands out to you the most? Anyone can go on line and see the numbers of bedrooms, square footage, location, blah blah blah. Why do you drink your coffee in the breakfast nook? Because the morning rays kiss your cheeks and welcome the day? Or because it’s still cave-like allowing you to ease in to what you wish wasn’t such an early morning? (That’d be me. Not a morning person.) When you light the fireplace does it warm the house so quickly you can cut the furnace down and feel the carpet on your bare feet? Is the back patio the perfect place to sip wine and watch the sunset? THIS is the emotion you want to portray to buyers. Are they buying location and square footage? At first. When they narrow their search down to the top three, they are buying coffee and wine sipping locations.
Now let’s look at the flip side. What would you change if you could? Does the front door open the wrong direction making it awkward to get in the house and you’ve just dealt with it? Does the carpet in the basement rec room bring you back to your ‘spin the bottle’ days? If these are easy fixes, fix them! You have become immune and accustomed to those little idiosyncrasies. Your potential buyers have not. Being open to your professional’s constructive feedback is also a good idea, as well as heeding any feedback you get from the first few showings. Sometimes it’s hard to see the forest for the trees, so it’s important to be open to suggestions.
I hope this helps you remember to spread the word about all the glorious details of the house you’ve called home! And don’t forget to reference last week’s article when looking for your next nest of memories. Stay tuned for some more insightful info as we plunge headfirst in to spring! And I promise to try and keep the lion at bay.
If you have an idea for a topic or question about real estate you’d like me to address I’m just a phone call or email away! Take care and enjoy your week…
Melissa Berube, 2019 MBOR President
