subject: Consider How Prospective Buyers See Your Home [print this page] When people ask me how to sell a house, and this happens pretty regularly, I share some ideas that work for me personally. That doesn't mean the same ideas will automatically work for others, but it gives people the benefit of my years of experience. I enjoy sharing what I know about how to sell a home, so here are some ideas for you, too.
The first thing to remember is that the way you see your home and the way a prospective buyer sees your home are totally different. Your furniture and other belongings are all arranged and set up the way you like them. You are comfortable and the place probably looks pretty good to you. I'm not saying that it won't look good to people who take a tour of your home, but I'm saying they simply do not see what you see. People are looking at a home with the idea that their own belongings need to fit in the same space. They are literally subtracting your belongings and adding in their own possessions in their own minds.
It's somewhat confusing, so that's one reason I generally don't talk much when I'm walking around with buyers when I sell a home by owner. Buyers have a lot of mental processing to do in order to know if your home will work for their needs. I know more than one woman who has lost interest in a home simply because her dining room table would not fit comfortably. Her furniture was more important to her than any particular home, and that's the way it is with a lot of people. Bear that in mind when you're wondering how to sell a home. It will help you remember that what is going on in buyers' minds is probably entirely different than what you think.
So, if you're wondering how to sell a home in the present marketplace you have to keep in mind that buyers are looking for a home in a location they like, and location is certainly important. But just as important is the way the house works for their own purposes. Maybe they want a big family room because they have serveral children and everybody likes to spend time together. Or maybe just the opposite is true, meaning they want many separate rooms to accommodate a blended family of several generations and people need separate spaces. Those are two examples of families with different needs who will be looking for a home that fills their unique needs perfectly. One way to attract the buyers who are looking for a home exactly like yours is to describe your home in great detail in online classified ads.
Go 'way beyond the usual listing of number of bedrooms and bathrooms, although those statistics are certainly important, and describe the arrangement of living rooms and how traffic flows through the home. One good way to think about your home is this - consider how you would describe it while walking through the whole house and talking to a friend on the phone. Share your enthusiasm as you write the post just as you would in your conversation with a friend. This might not seem natural at first, but once you get into the swing of it you can really have a good time writing your ad to post on craigslist.com and ebayclassifieds.com and you ads will attract just the right buyers for your home.
