In this article I’m going to tell you an important thing I often do when some of my tenants move and I make a decision to
sell a house. Years ago when I didn’t know how to sell my house “by owner” I called a real estate to handle it for me, but since then I’ve worked out a good system that might work for you, too. I’ve lost track of how many people have told me that my suggestions worked well for them in the past.
My first suggestion is the real key to seeing your house in a new, fresh way, the way buyer will see it. Step outdoors and walk out of your house to the sidewalk. Turn around and then stand there for a few minutes looking carefully at your house. Try hard to see it like you saw it the very first time you drove in the driveway because your buyers will be seeing it that way now, too.
Nobody knows about the money you’ve spent improving the place or making repairs to maintain the house. People care about what they can see and how they feel on first impression. You may not recall the first time you saw your house, but first impressions are very important.
A buyer does not forget his or her first impression of a house, and the lingering feeling that either excites them or causes them to lose interest in your house. Right now you need to remember your own feelings when you first saw the house. Do you remember what caused that feeling? Can you re-create that feeling again for your buyers somehow?
While you’re still outside thinking about creating good feelings in potential buyers, stroll on back into your house. Then stop again in the hallway and notice your first impression of the inside of your house. Take note of the sounds and smells as well as the sights. All our senses are involved when we get a first impression of a house. Right now you are so used to your house and rather numb to the impression that others form. Really pay close attention and give consideration to how your house impresses other people because that exercise will help you get it prepared to show, and for the next person to love it, too!