And if your house is for sale, you’re going to be invaded……………hopefully………………. Are you ready? 

Michael Gerber in The E-Myth on customers: “When it comes to marketing, what you want is un-important. It’s what your customer wants that matters.  And what your customer wants is probably significantly different from what you think he wants. Try to visualize your customer. He’s standing before you. He’s not frowning nor is he smiling. He’s perfectly neutral. Yet there’s something strange about him. Coming out of his forehead reaching up to the ceiling is an antennae. And at the end of the antennae, is a sensor beeping away like crazy. And the sensor is taking in all of the sensory data around it. Colors, shapes, sounds and smells…… nothing escapes the sensor as it absorbs he stimuli from the environment. ”

Nothing escapes your potential buyers as they absorb the information used to decide to buy or not buy your home.

 So how do you handle the aliens? The best place to look is the toughest market in the country, the ultra luxury market, and see how these homes are successfully marketed. You see, in this price range, there are only 50-100 possible buyers in the WORLD. So they know what it means to make a good first impression.  They know that it’s critical to make a lasting first impression. And in order to make a lasting first impression, they have to appeal to ALL of a potential buyers senses. Sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Let’s see how to do that:

1. Sight

Make sure the front yard, driveway, and walkway of the house are green, trimmed, and landscaped. Put a decorative plate around the doorbell and a nice lighting fixture at the entryway. Replace the house numbers so they’re visible and attractive. Have silk plants in the flower-boxes under the windows. When people arrive, you or your agent should encourage them to walk around the outside of the house first. Take them through the backyard, (people love green yards) and let them see the boundaries of their new home. Put patio furniture in the back yard-this essentially adds a room to the house, as it provides additional living space.

Inside, dress your house as if it’s ready to move in with plants, place settings in the kitchen, candles in the bedroom, towels in the bath, etc. Above all cleanliness and order are essential. Use drapes or curtains in your kitchen, living room, and master bedroom. One touch that impresses buyers is to use wooden hangers in the master bedroom closet. Place stacks of brochures throughout the house, and if you’ve had work done recently, use a business card stand with the contractor’s card. One subtle effect is to keep the toilet paper holders stocked with a full roll and fold the tip into a diamond point. If you’ve gone to this level of detail, buyers will feel comfortable that you’ve taken great care of the home.

And those pictures……..all of those great family pictures. Before I got married I had three pictures. One of my dog, one of my car and one of the biggest fish I ever caught. Now we have a house full of pictures and I wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s one of the things that makes a house a home. But all that personal stuff won’t help sell your house.  Which brings me to my wife’s expensive habit, scrap-booking.

The other day, my 4 year old daughter, Antonia, came into my office and said “Daddy, I want to show you my scrapbook page. Now, it’s not done yet and I will make it more better when mommy helps me, but I want to show it to you.” Then she proudly pointed out all the features. I told her that I was pretty sure that was the best scrap book page I had ever seen, gave her a hug, gently reminded her that “more better” doesn’t go together, and asked her to let mommy know that daddy would be working a little longer today to support my daughter’s new habit.  (Okay, I didn’t really ask her to say that but it did flash through my mind.)

   There are alot of good books out there on how to stage as well as professional stagers who can either offer a consultation and show you what to do, or they can actually do the staging. One of the best, Connie, is on our staff.

2. Sound

We use sound throughout the properties we sell to create atmosphere. Ever been to a spa? Remember the relaxing music? That’s what the bathroom needs to sound like. Many times, we’ll hide a cd player with some great spa music under the jacuzzi or on a plant ledge in the master bath.  You want a different cd player or radio in the other rooms with something current, snappy, happy, etc. Something suited to the mood you want to create. Get rid of any sounds that detract from the buyer’s experience. Check your appliances for rattles and eliminate them. If you have fans that make noise, fix or replace them. If the street is noisy, keep the windows closed. On the other hand, if your property is situated close to nature and it’s a nice day, let the outdoors provide your soundtrack.

3. Smell

Smells are our strongest memory triggers. Outside, fragrance from fresh-cut grass or flowers along a walkway is great. If you really want to get crazy, you can even buy time release scent machines that actually have fresh-cut grass and flower scents that release on time every-time. (They cost about $39 a month) Inside, the house must smell clean first and foremost. Potpourri plugged into a heating unit can add a nice touch. We use Eucalyptus or Mint in the bathrooms and Grapefruit in the rest of the house. Why Grapefruit? Research shows that retail buyers who entered a store with the scent of Grapefruit tend to linger longer when exposed to this scent than any other. Buyers lingering in your house is a good thing.

4. Taste

Our staged homes always have snacks, usually Ferrero Rocher chocolates in the entry and mints in the master bath. If you can’t afford Ferrero Rocher, Hershey’s Kisses are just fine.

5. Touch

If you’ve put new stucco, wood railings, or shutters on the outside, have people feel the textures or knock on the wood. Any special wall finishes on the inside, drapes, kitchen cabinets, countertops-have your buyers run their hands over the materials. In our high end properties, we have booties at the front door, and a sign that says “Please remove shoes or wear booties”. This accomplishes three things. First, it keeps the carpets and floors clean. Second, it allows people to feel the luxury of the carpet and floor beneath their feet. Third, it makes them take a moment before they enter the house to get ready for the experience (and grab a Ferrero Rocher chocolate). Perhaps the same experience home owners have as they comfortably walk in their home with their shoes off. Even in starter homes, having people take off their shoes will save you a tremendous amount of clean up while creating a sensation of a special event. (Something else we do in most of our homes, when the seller approves or if it’s one of our homes is to replace the padding in the master bedroom with the thickest possible. This needs to be a place to retreat too and that extra padding helps create that feeling)

The bottom line, is to create a memorable experience. One that will stand out from all the other homes your potential buyers will visit. Be careful though. The goal here isn’t to manipulate, but stimulate. If you come across too strong, you’ll get the wrong reaction. Be creative, but be subtle.

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