Everyone connected with real estate knows that the best-looking, best-staged homes sell the fastest. Your clients now need to think of their home as a property to be disposed of in the shortest amount of time. It is difficult for homeowners to come around to this way of thinking, especially if the home they are selling holds many special memories. However, it is crucial that homeowners separate themselves from the property and put themselves in sales mode, and you need to be the one to educate them about this very important fact. This is a crucial part of your marketing efforts.
Clients need to understand that ‘home’ will soon be a lovely new property that they will buy in the near future. While memories may tie them to their existing property, they need to remember that memories are always with us, and can be talked about and remembered anytime we want. They need to think of their present home as a house, a property that is on the market and that will soon belong to someone else – a temporary place of residence.
How do agents communicate that information to clients? Some use professionally made videos that show ‘before’ and ‘after’ scenes of what de-cluttering and de-personalizing do for a property. Some have handouts that emphasize the most important steps to take to make the property appeal to the largest number of buyers, and that they leave with the clients as a reference tool. Some, unfortunately, do nothing to educate clients on how to sell in the least amount of time.
Do you have a sure-fire method for helping your clients make their home more saleable? If not, and if your listings are sitting on the market longer than they should, consider having a frank talk with your clients. Remind them that buyers love paying for empty space and like to think this property will be THE ONE as they walk up to the front door. Your clients need to clear counters, open curtains and drapes, replace burned-out light bulbs, clean and straighten all closets, get rid of pet smells, make sure pets are removed from the property during showings, clean dirty carpets, and make sure the house smells great. I once walked through a house that looked like it had been burglarized – there was ‘stuff’ everywhere, tossed on any available surface – but the crowning blow for me was when I narrowly missed stepping on a dead mouse in the garage. I couldn’t get out of that house fast enough! If that was what the homeowners didn’t mind potential buyers seeing, I wondered what it was I wasn’t seeing. It was not a very appealing thought.
Not everyone has the know-how to communicate this important selling advice to their clients. Those properties sit and sit on the market, while the clients whine about why their house isn’t selling and what is our agent doing to make a sale happen? If you don’t educate your buyers, who will?
In the current buyers’ market, with recession fears still hovering about, the most appealing homes sell the fastest. If your buyers can’t figure out how to make their homes look more like model homes, and you’re having trouble communicating this important information to them, consider introducing them to a home staging specialist. Use any edge you can find to make the property one that has potential buyers exclaiming, “I can see myself cooking in this kitchen!” Or, “This would be the perfect family room for us!” You, and your buyers will be very happy with those results. The old adage, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” is never truer than when buyers are house hunting. When your clients’ property is turnkey ready and sells quickly, your reputation will grow as the agent who gets results.
