How Will Buyers Remember Your Home?
Buyers, when viewing homes first-hand, are no doubt going to walk away with an opinion.
Whether good, or bad, they'll likely refer back to your home with some sort of description.
What we don't want to hear from buyers are statements such as these:
"Honey, remember that home with the dated wallpaper?"
Or...
"I loved that last home we saw but... there was so much clutter, I had a hard time visualizing our things in there."
With so many homes on the market from which a buyer can select from, we want to give them every reason to buy and not a single reason not to.
And yes, as a home seller, there are things you can do to ensure "what they remember" are all the positive things your home as to offer. More on that in a second.
When chatting recently with the listing agent, Iran Watson, for the exterior shot pictured above, he spoke of taking this specific picture of the swan/frog statue as a memory shot. Specifically, the photo was taken to help draw the buyers into the home. Similarly, he had taken this twilight picture of the pool to further capture the buyers:
Having seen this home first-hand when our Atlanta Home Staging company, Georgia Interior Solutions, was asked to provide a home staging consultation, I can tell you that Iran absolutely captured the essence of the home. I have no doubt that buyers will only have positive memories of this home.
As mentioned, there are things YOU, as a seller, can do to make the experience a positive one. Here are a few tips:
- Have repairs - fix 'em. I recently visited a home where the railings leading up to the house were all leaning. No doubt this will be a turn-off to buyers.
- Think clutter-free. Homes filled to the brim with furniture and nick-knacks consume "visual real estate." Don't know where to begin? Call in a professional home stager.
- Dated fixtures date your home. One of the most common mistakes a home seller will make is not addressing the minor updates that could end up making a world of difference. For example, light fixtures and faucets. The expense is minimal in comparison to the impact these improvements can have.
Home Staging Atlanta - Kathy Nielsen - 678 522 8392
RESA Professional Stager of the Year - Southern Region 2011
Whether your home is vacant or occupied, this Atlanta Georgia Home Stager, Kathy Nielsen, understands what it takes to sell a home quickly. Her homes have graced the pages of several publications, appeared in TV commercials as well as on HGTV's hit program Sleep On it.
With years of experience and a massive inventory - Kathy makes the perfect choice.
Home Staging Website: Home Staging Atlanta
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Email: Kathy@HomeStagingAtlanta.com
Blog: Atlanta Home Staging
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Kathy those are beautiful pictures and I like the idea of having a "memorable" photo. These certainly are
So funny to read this first thing this morning. Just yesterday while showing property, my client's had very specific ways of remembering several homes, and it's either with the one thing they loved or hated. 'Ick - not the one with the 90s wallpaper in every room! Oooh, how about the one with that fabulous sunroom. But oh wait, it had all the water damage on the floor near the fridge. That could bust our loan if it's section one and the bank won't repair it. And finally, 'my favorite is that one with the huge yard that's move-in ready'. Hmmm, imagine that!
Kathy - Love the idea of a "memory shot". These are fabulous examples.
Thank you for posting and sharing your informative article.
Kathy, it is so true that buyers identify a home with a memory and it is important that it is a good one.
Love the photos.
I love that swimming pool, Kathy! Some people, myself included, remember smells. One house we previewed for staging had such a strong cat spray smell that I couldn't wait to get out of there! The agent used an ozonator (not sure I am spelling that correctly) and it took about 4-5 days to remove the offensive odor.
Twilight and pools are my most favorite shots. These photos are priceless!! Great post Kathy!!
Thanks, everyone! The photos taken by Iran on the interior were just as good as these in this post. He's amazing.
Kathy
Those are AMAZING photos!! The evening shot is to die for....and everyone will remember that house...even me!!
Thanks Kathy!
When showing a buyer many homes, I encourage them to find something to remember the home by and usually they come up with something quirky. After looking at several homes in a day, or over a few days, they can start to run together. Provided they liked the house, the memorable photos should take them right back to those feelings they had when they visited the property. There is a lot of decision making that goes on after the visit, when the buyers are back at home consolidating all their info. It is a major advantage to get them back into the mindset in which they originally found themselves attracted to the property.
Sitting pretty he is---overlooking a beautiful setting. Hope you are having a great day.
shelton