Here is something important to consider if you are planning to list your New Hamphsire house for sale. You are not just selling a house, you are selling a future. Each time you show your house to potential buyers, you are showing them a glimpse of their possible future.
BEFORE you list your house - consider this question: What future does your house offer?
BEFORE you list your house - identify the areas where a grim future is predicted for buyers and then change the future!
Example 1
Upon entering your house, the first thing buyers see is a coat rack overflowing with coats, hats, and backpacks.
Buyers quickly realize that there is no coat closet.
You are showing buyers exactly what their future with no coat closet looks like.
Example 2
Your furniture is too big for the room. The sofa is in front of the window and there is no room for side tables.
You are giving buyers a glimpse of their future full of furniture placement frustration.
Having lived in your home, you know it's negative features all too well. Potential buyers, on the other hand, will only be aware of the negative aspects that you make them aware of.
When marketing your New Hampshire house for sale, present a future worth buying into.
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Hi Sharon~ I like that idea of getting our sellers to realize they are selling a future to the buyers! It is important to try to focus on the positive aspects of a home!
Sharon- you always have the most clever angle and titles! Good job and i love the different approach you took to getting a seller to have their home appeal to a broad range of buyers.
Good general tips with some nice photo evidence to back it up. Thanks for sharing the tips.
Great way to look at it Sharon. I was just in touch with a staging (former ReDesign) client that wants to take advantage of this market and get her house listed BEFORE it's ready. I advised her DON'T do it! Hope she listens. The future of her house and the sale is at jeopardy if it's not ready.
Sharon, a very catchy AND appropriate title for a topic that constantly needs to be addressed. Your photos are excellent in that they are representative. Sellers need to take your advice.
What great examples you have here in these photos-love the title of this article!
The fact that we are selling the future goes well with the idea that one's price position and mortgage interest rate going foward are far more important than the equity we once thought we had in our current/past house.
If it's a good time to buy (and it is), it can't be a poor time to sell and buy.
Catchy title Sharon and a great new approach.............you certainly showed us what a seller doesn't want to show a potential buyer. Nice job!
Good points here Sharon -- sellers are selling a future as well as a lifestyle ... so they need to make sure their home appeals in all of these ways to potential buyers. (I've been working on that the last few weeks, as my own home just went on the market!)
Awesome post, Sharon -- I suggested a feature as it is feature worthy for sure!
Eliminating objections to the sale is what I call it and I love the way you put it here Sharon. I agree with Karen D. it's feature worthy and worth repeating again and again.
Sharon, these are great points. I must admit, I've never thought of it before in those "futuristic" terms. Who wants a future with no space and no room to grow? Good post.
Hi Sharon,
Love your fresh approach to "lifestyle" marketing--it's all about the "future"...
Ever notice how a negative feature can rule a homeowner's thinking, to where they actually furnish and decorate around that feature, emphasizing it?
It's not misleading to make changes that direct buyers' attention to the positive features of rooms! Looking forward to seeing what you came up with.
Great post and photos too Sharon. You always really "show" the potential difference we can make!
Hi Sharon, I love this post! You are right on target - most often buyers are looking for a new home because they want a "step up" in their lifestyle. Sellers need to portray a relaxing, organized and pleasing environment in their home for sale. People don't want more clutter in their lives!
Sharon - Ah, if we could all peer into that chrystal ball... Ooooh, I just want to dive into those photos and get rid of those messy coats! Great points - often the seller is older in age, and the buyers are a young family with a long future together. The home needs to appeal to this new generation and future.
Sharon - Great idea for a post. I'd LOVE to see afters if you were able to work in this house!
I too would love to see your afters on these problem areas. Great analogy, loved the connection!
Julie
Hi Sharon, love how you wrote this creative post! Yes it's a possible future lifestyle buyers are looking at when buying a home. Great examples, your photos speaks volumes.
Touche' Sharon. With a little long thought it's amazing how many simple things we can do to improve the sale of a home. Thank you for posting.
Vickie: Sellers get so used to living in their home by compensating for it's problem areas, that they don't realize their way of coping or fixing the problem will actually highlight it to buyers. They need to highlight the positive features instead.
Kathy: Thank you, I struggle with my titles, so I appreciate that compliment a lot!
Lawrence: I'm a believer in photographic evidence to back things up!! Thanks!
Ginger: I feel your pain...I know how I would react if I got that call. You can only hope she takes your advice. That is one of the biggest mistakes sellers make.
Mary Kay: Thanks! I hope sellers do take the advice. We just keep coming up with new ways to make them "get it" and eventually they will!
Cathy: I know there are so many more examples, but I was afraid of making the post too long. I went with two obvious and easy to relate to examples.
Jim: I agree! It all evens out in the end.
Roger: Quite a compliment coming from the king of catchy titles! Thank you!
Maureen: The idea for this post came to me when I was at a staging consult and I heard myself say "Do you realize that you are giving buyers a glimpse of what their future will be like living here?" I wish I had a photo from that house, but I never took any. I knew I was not going to have the opportunity for "after" photos so I didn't bother.
Karen: Thanks so much for suggesting the post! I appreciate it.
Sharon,
One of the things i like to do is when i first start working with a buyer or seller, is to sit down and draw out what their plans are for the immediate future and later on down the road. This often helps them keep things in perspective when they get all excited about the house that seems great now but may not be what would be best for them down the road. And your idea of helping the seller look through the buyer's eyes when they first walk in the house is excdellant information.
Karen O: "Eliminating objections to the sale" is a brilliant way to put it. Thanks for joining in!
Patsy: I hadn't really thought of it this way either until I was at a consult and the words just came out of my mouth! It was funny...I actually stopped and said "this will make a great blog post topic!"
Marian: Exactly! They might as well be there in person pointing out all the problems of the house! It's not deceptive to highlight the positive...and for the record, I would never suggest hiding or covering up a problem...that would be deceptive.
Lee & Carol: Thank you, I try!
Diana: Good point...they want to step up, not take two steps backwards!
Sally: I see a lot of coat piles in houses I visit. Even when there is a closet...people are just lazy and would rather toss everything by the door.
Shelley & Julie: The second picture with the large furniture is from a condo. I did a consult, but did not return for any follow-up work so there is no "after" picture.
I do have an "after" of the first picture. It was an owner occupied, nothing new brought in, quickie staging. The realtor and I did what we could with what the sellers had and we did the whole house in about 3 hrs.
Yes we are selling futures. Just think about the homes that you have sold where she cried because you were closing on the home that they raised their family.
Thank you
Cynthia: Thanks so much! I didn't think the pictures were the best, but they certainly get the point across.
Harj: Thank you! I love to improve homes whenever I get the chance!
Don: Thank you for the great comment. It's so important that you take that extra step and help them figure out what it is they really want.
Scott: There is so much emotion involved. It's the future on one side of the table and the past for the other side.
Sharon,
Your post is great! It is so important to guide the Buyers visually through the home. Pointing out obvious problems (ie-lack of closet) is not what you want. As Buyers become more and more engaged in the house, things like that may be forgiven but not at the beginning. We want them to keep saying YES!
I will see you at Raincamp!!!!!!!
Marianne
Look at you Missy, a Feature........woooooo hoooooooooo! Congratulations! This is exciting!
Sharon, that's a great approach. New house is a new beginning and the future in it should be clean and bright not messy and cluttered...
Sharon, as many said before me...love the title! Couldn't be more true. It is funny how we inadvertently highlight the negative in our day-to-day lives at home, to the point we often don't even see it anymore. Or we're just so aggravated with it that we just want to be done with it and don't take that extra second to consider that the buyer might find it just as aggravating!
Buyers, whether they realize it or not, view houses with a "what-you-see-is-what-you-get" perspective. Sellers who address that...in advance...reap the rewards!
Excellent post, and congrats on the feature! I hope I get a chance to meet you at RainCamp!
I think that it is a great angle to help sellers see their home through a buyer's eyes. They are so used to it, that they no longer see it as a potential negative to fresh eyes. Thank you for the fabulous insight!
Sharon congrats on the feature. What an excellent way to look at things! A brand new way to present to our sellers!
Marianne: Agreed...the issues will be discovered and contemplated at a later date, but if they are the first thing the buyer sees, it probably won't go that far. I look forward to seeing you at RainCamp!
Roger: Thank you! It is exciting...it's been awhile for me! Imagine, a featured post in spite of the "dark place" I was in yesterday. Maybe I write better when I'm feeling all sorry for myself, LOL!
I think about resale but not about the "future". Very good post. Thanks!
Anna: And they lived happily ever after...
Kim: I love your line: "Buyers, whether they realize it or not, view houses with a "what-you-see-is-what-you-get" perspective. Sellers who address that...in advance...reap the rewards!" Thanks, I hope I do get to meet you at RainCamp!
Karen: They do get used to their surroundings and because they are somewhat comfortable, they don't see it as negative.
Debra: I hope the info is useful to you. Stagers are like that you know, we just keep coming up with new ways to get the sellers to that aha moment!
Trevor: Resale is something very important that many homeowners don't take seriously enough. Every improvement I made in my last house was done with resale in mind. Thanks for commenting!
Wonderful approach Sharon! Congrats on the feature!
Well I won't mention the "P" word here, but maybe you write better when it's down rather than up! Either way, great job my friend.
I like the lingo here that you are purchasing a future. I also like the lingo a few weeks ago that a Buyer wants to purchase a home, not a headache.
Nice post today, thanks for the good read. I like the title....it says alot!
Patricia/Seacoast NH
Sharon, I love how you put this post with a different spin...such a clever and true way to describe it. I love your post!!
Sharon, What a great post to help sellers understand that they need to see their home through a buyers eyes.
I hadn't considered selling or staging in this way. I like the idea of providing a future rather than "staging" a home.
Sharon Super Stager, congrats on the well deserved feature.... ;)
Sharon, This is such a wonderful post and another way to explain it to my sellers. It seems so simple now that you've said it! "showing the buyers their future" - I love it. Congrats on the feature Sharon.
Janice: Thank you!
Roger: You always make me smile!
Cheryl: I love it! I will have to remember that one!
Patricia: Thanks for commenting! Are you going to RainCamp next week?
Birgit: Thank you for the enthusiastic comment! I'm glad you enjoyed the post.
Diane: Sometimes it takes a new approach to get the message across.
Christine: Sometimes people get hung up on the word staging...it's really just another word for preparing. Staging is preparing the home for sale. I'm glad you like the "selling a future" concept and I hope it comes in handy for you!
Cynthia: You are awesome!
Mary: I love that you love it! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know!
Sharon -- Excellent post and congratulation on your feature -- you deserve it!
I love the way you presented this Sharon. It's a great twist on "buyers only know what they see not what will be"!
Nancy: Thank you!
Tessa: Exactly! Thanks!
Great attention-getter title and nice way to "romance" the project when speaking to the seller.
Karen: Thanks! I usually struggle with getting the title right, so I really appreciate that!
Hi, Sharon. Congratulations on the feature! FABULOUS title! The Before & After pictures are awesome; you sure made your point. The room looks a million percent better....you are BRILLIANT!
I made comment #61 but apparently I wasn't logged in....sorry about that!
Leslie: Thank you! I haven't been called "brilliant" in a while, it's nice to hear! LOL!