Buyers keep looking until they fall in love. They are not looking for “a” home, they are looking for “the” home, their “dream” home. They are tired of seeing homes (9 out of 10) that are not ready for sale. They want a clean, fresh, move-in-ready home. Most do not want to do even minor projects.
As a seller, you must understand the mind of the buyer and make buyers fall in love with your home. Buyers do not buy homes; they buy the feeling they get when they are looking at a home. They are not using their brains to decide, they are using their hearts. And in good markets or tough markets, when a buyer finds the right home, they will fall in love, and that home will sell for the highest possible price.
We have witnessed a buyer considering two identical homes on the same street, in the same neighborhood, with identical lots, and pay $15,000 more for the one that spent $750 preparing the home for sale. We have seen homes sit on the market for a year, then sell in 30 days (at a higher list price) after a few small adjustments to improve the buyer perception of the home.
If you want to sell your home for the highest price in the shortest amount of time, emphasize or add elements with which buyers will fall in love, and fix or remove issues that will cause them to hesitate.
There are a few investor types out there who truly decide with their brain, and whose first priority is a good deal. But we do not want anyone getting a good deal on your home, right? So we can ignore them. What we want is a buyer to come to your home, fall in love, and impulsively write an offer at (or near) your asking price. So we will concentrate on those buyers instead.
