The moment a potential buyer walks into a property, their mind goes into overdrive. A million things are going through their head and that’s before they’ve asked about energy bills, checked the boiler or peeked into every cupboard – they’re forming a series of split-second judgements. The first 30 seconds can be crucial.
What are buyers noticing immediately and how can you capitalise on this if you’re looking to sell?
Curb Appeal Sets the Mood
As buyers approach a property, they’ll be making quick judgments about it’s exterior. Ensuring that the front of a property is tidy, clean and well-maintained sets you up for a good start before they’ve stepped inside. Mess and general decay can put people off and make the rest of the viewing and uphill struggle.
You don’t need to break the bank on these changes either, it’s more about putting in the time and effort to keep everything tidy and well-maintained. It helps to give a good first impression.
Light, Space and Smell
When a potential buyer steps over the threshold, they’ll probably notice three things almost immediately: to he light, how much space there is and what a property smells like.
Natural light is a really persuasive feature and walking into bright, well-lit rooms makes a property feel inviting and creates the illusion of more space. Keep curtains and blinds open to maximise the light and it’ll do rest of the work for you.
Smell is often overlooked, but it can trigger strong feelings about a property. We don’t need to spell it out, but obviously a bad or musty smell isn’t going to sell a property. Avoid strong cooking odours and damp smells, and don’t go too far with air fresheners to cover them up. Try to tackle the source of an issue and then use neutral, clean scents.
Cleanliness Signals Care
Potential buyers will assume that a property will reach certain standards of cleanliness so if it fails to reach these then they will definitely notice. This can then signal other feelings about a property – has it been adequately maintained and cared for? What could be lurking in places they cant see? The presentation of a property doesn’t want to signal neglect, so making sure it’s fresh and clean is a must.
It doesn’t need to be completely sterile but decluttered and clean surfaces will encourage buyers to look around and visualise themselves in a space.
Flow and First Impressions of Layout
Looking around a property is about seeing whether you can imagine living somewhere and visualising it. Enabling this to happen means encouraging buyers to be able to see how a property flows.
If there’s clutter and knick-knacks everywhere then it puts obstacles in the way, literally and figuratively. It’s harder to visualise yourself in the space if it so cramped, whereas if space is clear, it’s easier to imagine other items there etc.
Emotion Matters
Most actions and purchases are based on a level of emotion. We are always reacting based on emotion and buying a property could be the biggest example of this. A person isn’t just buying something physical, but they’re buying into a vision of their future, so they want to feel excitement and comfort.
Helping a buyer to do this through subtle neutrality and a calm tranquility allows them to visualise living in a space and thriving.
Helping Sellers Get It Right
Getting small, realistic improvements just right can help make a massive difference to the success of a viewing. First impressions are so important and can drastically sway decision making.
For more info and advice on viewings and selling a property, get in touch with our team at Home EA today.
