You got a call from a buyer. The couple is visiting your Paris home this weekend. This might be it…then again, you don’t want to get your hopes up too high. Your listing’s been up on PAP.fr for 8 weeks with no results. You’ve played back in your mind every showing, analyzed each look, each comment. You just don’t get it!
Maybe the French market’s bad. Or maybe it wasn’t meant to be…Want to know what your problem is?
You didn’t make them dream.
Whether your home is in the City of Light, the French suburbs or the overseas colonies, you need to charm, to surprise, to dazzle buyers. They’re waiting to be swept off their feet! But how do you turn a showing into a buyer’s obsession in a competitive market? What makes buyers run away with no further explanation? And is the trouble really worth it?
Let’s dive in.
Put yourself in the shoes of the buyer
It’s no scoop to say that to sell your home you have to attract buyers. But it’s not that simple. Why? Because you’re not in your home shopper’s shoes. You don’t know how visitors see your home.
Real estate agents working with home-stagers have a sharp eye and flair for spotting what works or what doesn’t. They also know from experience that expert photos make all the difference from the start.
Do you know how many visitors connect to SeLoger.com per month? 20,5 million. Do you know how long it takes for a visitor to select an ad, simply on photographs? 20 seconds. Ouch!
Makes you wonder how many online views – let alone visits – ads with amateur pictures get…You know, those ads with photos you need to rotate to view correctly or get a stiff neck looking at them. Seriously.
Taking quality pictures for real estate communication is an expertise. Professional real estate photographers and home-stagers have the know-how and material to make your home stand out from the competition and create that wow effect.
The tricky part in attracting homebuyers is that you only get one chance.
In fact, a homebuyer makes up their mind less than two minutes into the visit. This is how important the dream home is in the buyer’s eye.
It’s like when you buy a ticket to a musical on the Champs Elysées. What are you really buying? Not just a ticket to a show. You’re buying leisure time, a few hours with your loved one or alone away from the kids. But as you imagine yourself sipping a glass of champagne during the entreacte, you’re buying glitter, swing, you’re buying magic!
Well, it’s the same for your apartment. Your homebuyer is buying more than square meters in a specific arrondissement. Your homebuyer expects to plunge into an ambiance that they can connect to right away and embrace at a glance.
Sounds impossible to do? And what’s in it for the seller, you say? Significant benefits actually. Working on your home’s appeal is crucial. It will draw property buyers to your home like bees to honey. The result?
First, getting more attention means selling faster. Studies have confirmed that homes can be sold up to 21 days faster according to price range thanks to professional photographs.
Secondly, more selling opportunities bring more potential offers to choose from. You’ll be able to pick the best financially reliable one.
Third, staging your home maintains and even increases your selling price.
If pulling off an extra discount on a leather jacket during the sales is possible, it’s a lot tougher to negotiate the price on a beautifully-tended home. The buyer better have solid arguments to lower your selling price.
Studies have also shown that homes with professional real estate pictures sell on average 1,1% to 2,8% higher than those with photos taken by non-professionals.
In the end, home staging doesn’t cost you but actually pays you, especially if you work with a real estate agent who includes home staging is their service fees.
So now you know why you need to hook a buyer’s attention, let’s see what NOT to do for a showing to avoid extra costs or leaving you right where you started.
These mistakes are worth looking out for:
Leaving unfinished projects around the house reflects a lack of care. You know that water damage on the ceiling or those broken tiles in the bathroom floor that you were meaning to take care of? Now is a good time to do it or get it done by a handyman. Or it will set off a negative energy and only pollute the buyer’s overall impression.
Presenting an empty home confuses buyers. Nature abhors a vacuum and so does a buyer. You’re asking too much of him. It’s like having to imagine a beautiful sunset on a rainy day…It takes years of meditation to get there! You either need to furnish it yourself – the right way – or hire a professional to help you.
Overdoing improvements is not necessary. No need to remodel your whole home. Prioritize the best improvements for resale, the ones that every buyer wants in your location. Also, don’t expect to get full payback on renovations made.
Focusing on the interior and forgetting curb appeal. A cheap front door, an unattended garden, a tired roof will make buyers leave before you can even show them in. Scan your property from the outside to avoid any negative points.
Now you’ve been briefed on major showing mistakes in your home sale. Find out in Part 2 how to subtly drive the buyer to that jaw-dropping point when all resistance melts down and you’re in business again!
