The Emotional Buyer is Every Buyer

Most residential property is purchased by people who anticipate living in the home.  Unlike commercial purchases where the buyer is looking at the bottom line for profit, home buyers are going to be influences by their emtions in making the buying decision.  It will be their emotions that will affect their motivation to make the buy.  

How can a seller influence the emotions of Buyers to get them to the contract stage.  Of course the buying triangle of price, location and condition all play a role but after being happy about the price and location, the Buyer will now be looking at the condition of the home – does it suit their needs and do they WANT to live in the home.  Our five senses all play a significant role in how we feel.  They evoke emotions.  Sellers can ’awaken’ those senses.

Smell:  Nothing beats the smell of clean - no heavy perfumes, no room fresheners.  Sellers can consider a bowl of lavender in the bath area, the cedar blocks in the clothes closet and maybe a bowl of lemons in the kitchen.

Taste:   A Seller could leave some wrapped candy at the door or by the Feature Sheets.  However, there are some foods that make you salivate just from the smell when they are just out of the oven - like baking bread and apple pie. 

Sound:  The sounds of a school yard at recess, trains/planes and automobiles will distract and annoy a Buyer.  They do not realize that those sounds will disappear after they have lived in the home for awhile.  Sellers can play a soft background music playlist on the sound system .  In the exterior, nothing beats the sound of a trickling fountain.

Sight:  Well, we all know the horrors of clutter, bad wallpaper, too many pictures.  Minimal is best. 

Touch:  Every buyer I have ever taken through a home touches things – walls, railings, furniture.  We feel through our fingers and those feelings bring up good feelings when there is a variety of textures.  Of course, stay away from the feeling of crumbs and dirt on the floors – buyers are usually in their sox and this is just awful. 

When you go to sell, think of ways to appeal to Buyers senses.  You want those good feelings to turn into a motivation to buy. 

  Photo credit:  Lavender

Don’t Screen Out Ottawa Buyers

Yesterday was glorious with nice warm temperatures and hardly any wind.   The only sounds were the maple leaves drifting down from the trees and the honking of geese.   Oh darn, I digress. 

On our long list of things to do around the house, yesterday was the day we finally took down all the screens,  placed in the the back yard and one by one they were gently washed with a soft brush and a bit of dish soap and then hosed off.   While the screens were being washed, I washed all the windows.   Good for us.

What did we discover?   With all of the window blinds up and drapes pulled back, with all the screens off and windows cleaned – the house looked so bright that we almost needed sunglasses.   My husband must have commented on this four times during the day.   I told him that when the day comes for us to sell, we want the house looking the same way.   We will: 

It is amazing the amount of light that is reduced just by the screens on the windows (okay, and the dirt).

Photo credit: Snow on the window screen