Do you know which door is the most important door when it comes to marketing your house for sale? It's the door that potential buyers will be using to enter your house. It's the door where the infamous "first impression" is made.
Which door will potential buyers be using? I'm surprised at how many sellers have not given this question any thought. I'm even more surprised at how many Realtors are not prepared with an answer when I ask the question.
I begin all of my home staging consultations at the entryway, the door that buyers will be using. I've found that, for the most part, the decision of which door the Realtor will use has not been discussed prior to my arrival.
I find this interesting because it should be an important part of the marketing plan when selling a house.
Buyers will decide within the first ten seconds of entering the house whether they are interested in it or not. After that they are looking to validate their first impression. This means if their gut feeling upon entering is negative, they will walk room to room looking for reasons not to like the house.
If they are impressed and find it appealing immediately upon stepping inside, they will carry their excitement throughout, looking for more reasons to love the house.
As a general rule, the front door is considered the formal entry...used by most agents for showings. However, it is not always the best choice when selling. Every house is different and several factors should be considered.
Some things to consider:
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accessibility from parking
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condition of walkway leading to the door
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positive and negative landscaping conditions
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the architectural features of the house
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overall appeal immediately upon entering
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other rooms viewable from the entryway
Choose the entry door wisely. Start in your driveway and walk towards the door, and see what it looks like from a buyer's point of view. Prepare the area leading up to, surrounding, and inside the door as if your sale depends on it...because chances are it does.
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Sharon - Great advice. I like to use the door that family and friends would use. Makes it feel more like home right from the start.
Great advice. First impressions can make or break interest in the property.
Sharon...sage advice, if you are likely to come in through a side entrance because of the proximity to the driveway...that is the important first impression. You want to hear Wow, not Oh my!
It may even be a good idea to replace an old door with a new one.
This is a great point; not everyone will be entering the home from the garage.
Lisa Bond
The Stagehand Home Staging and Redesign Services
www.thestagehand.info
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Judy: I'm fine with that as long as the appeal is there immediately upon entering. Creating a feeling of home is very important!
Katie: And "make" is so much better, don't you think?
Steve: I had a client once whose realtor wanted to bring buyers to the slider because it was closest to the driveway. Her plan was to leave them standing at the door while she went inside (by way of another door) to let them in. As if that wasn't bad enough, the slider had broken glass. I've also seen more than one realtor want to bring buyers through the cluttered and dirty garage.
Bob: Absolutely! It is a very good idea to replace worn or damaged doors or to give them a fresh coat of paint and add new hardware.
Lisa: but many will consider it
Spot on again Sharon. More than once I've advised agents to relocate their lockbox closer to the front entry and if they can't, then leave the potentials buyers there (or even better in the car)while they go get the key. Entering through the laundry room may not leave the best first impression...at least not at my house.
Ginger: Thanks! I am just surprised how many sellers haven't had this discussion with their Realtor. They need to have the path that buyers will walk prepared to impress...how can they do this if they aren't even thinking about it?
Excellent advice Sharon, first impressions are so important, I always take notice of clients initial reaction to a house,
Gerry: Thanks! Once that initial reaciton occurs, it is hard to change it.
Sharon, this is one of my biggest pet peeves. As a Realtor, I hate it when the agent puts the lock box on the back door...unless for some reason it makes sense. It usually doesn't.
Sharon
Great post, it's right on target, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Good luck and success.
Lou Ludwig
Sharon- another thought-ful post. It's easy to forget, depending upon the layout of the house to the driveway that even though our front door is inviting, it may not be the most easily accessed. That first impression is so very important.
GREAT point....I always like to "walk in the front door" over & over again as things come together when I'm staging. Thru the eyes of the buyers!
Sharon,
Potential buyers will enter by the front door, so that is critical. Owners, however, usually enter through a door from the garage, so I always make my sellers spruce that up as well.
Sharon - Excellent points! Undefined or confusing entry points are so annoying and discombobulating! (Hope I spelled that right...you never know when that spell checker guy will show up) Your advice is spot on.
Hi Sharon, well written post once again! Oh my to your response to Steve, I can't imagine why bringing a client through a cluttered garage or a broken slider would give a good first impression!
Excellent advice. When I start out with a listing we work from the "entrance door" forward for that exact reason. You need to know that the first impression is going to be the best it can be. Great post!
You bet first impressions are important; from the moment you step to the front door. One really bad thing is a sticky door lock, an often over looked item. I think that is my biggest pet peeve if a home goes on the market with a door lock that is touchy and no one know just the right combination of lifting, pushing or pulling on the door to get the darn thing open.
Hi, Sharon. Another great post! It's amazing how many people never use their front door.
I had a listing where the only key I had was for the back door. As Ginger pointed out in Comment #7, it's better for the agent to go and open the front door for the buyers and welcome them into the house rather than having them traipsing along, seeing less inviting aspects as a first impression.
Hi Sharon -- this is such a critical start for the buyer's first impression. They've got to be wowed from the moment they step out of their car .... excitement builds as they notice the tidy landscaping, well-kept and manicured lawn and flower beds, and the crisp welcoming entry area, along with freshly washed windows, clean gutters, etc. I agree with others that entry by the front door is a must!
Susan: I have seen cases where the back door did make more sense than the front door. What is important is that the "door" is prepared to look it's very best.
Lou: Thank you, I appreciate it!
Kathy S: It's a thought process. There has to be a discussion and a plan for the route that buyers will take and just what they will see along the way.
Kathy B: I do that too. I walk out and back in again with each room I stage.
Irene: You have to be prepared in all areas of the house. Front, back and everything in between!
Laraine: Don't go trying to impress me with those big words of yours!
Cynthia: It made no sense. Luckily, I changed the plan and it all worked out.
Debra: Excellent! Keep up the good work!
Mary: So true! Nothing like the buyers watching the realtor struggle to get the door open.
Leslie: I had a client once whose front door was blocked with a bookcase. They didn't use the door and needed the space for their books. Needless to say, those books went into storage and the door was given it's old job back.
Maureen: Well said! Thanks for the reinforcement.
I consulted on a house that had a backyard that was so spectacular that I recommended bringing in shoppers through the backyard fence gate. Even though the house was very nice too, the back yard would definitely "sell" the house. So start there. If shoppers fall in "love at first sight" they will forgive the tiny bedroom on the second floor or the single vanity in the master bath. We all know we go a little "blind" when we fall in love.
Tara,
Excellent points, using the right door does make a big difference. I so hate when you have to enter a home from the backdoor or garage.
Mona: This is exactly what I'm talking about. Thanks so much for the perfect example!
Jennifer: Sometimes we have no choice and the important thing is to make the best of what you have to work with.
Sharon, the door is so important, and I'm always amazed when listing agents make you walk through mud that leads to the lockbox on the back door leading into something funky. It's something that needs a lot more thought than a lot of us give.
Patricia: Exactly! Thank you!
Excellent as always Sharon! This is critical and is so overlooked! Great reminders!
Aloha Sharon,
Thanks for the post, very well said. I'm going to repost this!
Peace,
Sheila: It seems to be over looked here. A recent seller was so surprised when I asked the question and said her realtor never addressed it.
Kimo: I appreciate it! Thank you!
Sharon, this is a GREAT post and I always start at the door with potential clients and tell them that while the buyer's agent is looking for the Lockbox and retrieving the key, buyers are getting their first impression of the home!
Just like Russell wrote-the potential buyers have so much time to look at the door while the agent is using the lock box. The porch and front door needs to be beautiful! Great post as always from my favorite blogger!
I'm here, following a re-blog =) So I'll just post the same comment ;=)
LOVE that picture! And love the"10 seconds" rule. That makes a lot of sense. Especially when the rest of the time is looking to validate their first impression. Great post!
Russell: And they are noticing every little thing! Most sellers don't realize this. Thanks for reinforcing the point!
Cathy: It's so important to have an agent who discusses this and makes sure the entrance is properly prepared to impress! Thanks for the "favorite" blogger statement!
Lisa: Thank you! The picture was "staged" at my house for my website. Thanks also for taking the time to stop in after seeing the reblog!
Great post! I hope many agents take your advice seriously. I often wonder why many work so hard to get a listing and then forget such important details.
Irene: Those small details add up to one big impression! Thanks.
Sharon,
Great post, and tips that show that the small details make all the difference in the world. We loved the door from the garage into the house...never used the front door except for guests. All the best..
Ron & Alexandra: Thanks! I'm glad you found the post interesting!
Hello Sharon,
Terrific post and tips! Using the right door does make a difference. Thanks for sharing!
Rita
Rita: You are welcome! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Excellent point about buyers looking to rationalize their emotional response to the house. Thanks, Sharon!
Cheers,
Robin
Robin: I appreciate the comment, thanks!