Step Into The Buyer' Mind [Selling Tips]

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by Osman Parvez
Want to maximize sale price and minimize time on market?  Here's the advice I give my sellers:  Think about it from the buyer's perspective.

Buyers start their house hunt by shopping online within certain functional requirements, locations, and a rough price range.   They're looking for a minimum number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and garage spaces.   Most buyers are very specific about age, location, and layout as well.   You're not going to change any of that very easily.   And neither am I.

What Do Prospective Buyers See and Feel?

Instead, our first job is to get your house on the showing list by making it stand out among all the other potential candidates.   It's why we focus so much attention on staging, photography, and listing language. 

When that first job is accomplished, and the prospective buyer arrives with their agent, it's no longer about functional requirements or even the price   The house has already passed those filters.   It's now almost entirely about the emotional reaction.  From the moment they pull up to the curb, you as the seller (and me as your listing agent) have an opportunity to influence perceptions.

Make no mistake, if buyers are emotionally attached, they will talk themselves into overlooking issues with the house, including the price.   Buyers have a tendency to justify their already-made decision with logic, sometimes quite twisted logic, for why THIS ONE should be it.     Unfortunately, if something interrupts the pathway to emotional attachment - whether it's a broken door bell or other clear signs of deferred maintenance - the spell is broken.  The opportunity to make a good first impression is lost.

Stage It Right, Price It Right
Here's how I can help.     For starters,  every home I list includes a complementary staging consultation.    Every week, Dallice and I take buyers to see dozens of houses.   We are deeply in touch with the things that turn on and turn off buyers.   Dallice has also taken the same professional staging classes and passed the same certification standards as professional staging consultants.  Before your property hits the MLS, before we enter the so-called honey moon period of the listing,  we'll provide you with a detailed list of improvements we recommend you take.    We'll even prioritize our recommendations, showing you precisely where you'll get the most bang for the buck.


Of course, we also provide exceptional photography, obsess over the competition and analyze recent sales.   If you're a regularly blog reader, you know that I probably do this more carefully than any other agent in Boulder County.   Pricing smart is critical, because once they are emotionally hooked, the house still has to make reasonable economic sense.   Just remember it's secondary to the importance of emotional attachment.    Trust me here, I'm an analytical guy who has spent most of his professional career evaluating investments.  For the vast majority of non-investment buyers, emotional appeal will override mispricing but not the other way around.

If the market is hot in your neighborhood and a reasonable length of time remains before the seasonal peak, I'll probably recommend we price slightly ahead of the trend.   If the market is showing clear signs of weakness and we're entering the 4th quarter of the year, I might recommend pricing slightly below the most recent comparable or competitor.   Once buyers are emotionally drawn to the house, the goal is to make the objective, analytical evaluation an easy one.   That's why I obsess over valuation and tracking the market.  It's the way to make sure the price makes sense from an analysis of historical sales and in the context of the current competition.

p.s.  My listings appear on the Realtor.com, Craigslist and all of the same websites as my competition; Colorado HomeFinder, Coldwell Banker, Re/Max, Keller Williams, and Pedal to Property.  We even market our listings to our pool of active buyers, months before they hit the market.  The difference is the service I provide and the reputation that I stand behind.

To learn more about how I advise sellers, helping them achieve the highest price possible with the least amount of hassle, call me.   Email me at osman@silverfernrealty.com or call me at 303.746.6896
---Note: Our goal is to provide exceptional service to our clients. The ideas and strategies in this blog post are the opinion of the writer at the time of publication. Silver Fern Homes recommends careful and complete due diligence before buying or selling real estate or other investments. Consult with your professional advisers before making financial decisions. This article is not intended as legal, tax, or investment advice. Silver Fern Homes will not be held liable for investment choices derived from this article.

images:  Hans S