Preparing Your House To Sell – Understanding The “Buyer’s Fantasy”

Written by Reba Collins


When selling your home, there’s so much to do and gettingrepparttar highest selling price possible is probablyrepparttar 149547 most important thing to be considered. Yes, there are a lot of things to think about butrepparttar 149548 bottom line is gettingrepparttar 149549 most you can possibly get. Sometimes, your situation will dictate whether or not you can fully utilizerepparttar 149550 suggestions we’re going to cover in this article but understandingrepparttar 149551 what’s going on inrepparttar 149552 buyer’s mind will help you to get focused on what needs to be done first and what can wait until later.

The first thing you need to understand isrepparttar 149553 psychology of your potential buyers. These people, in their minds, are trying to size-up your house and how it will fit into their lives. They are trying to figure out if they will be happy having your house as their home.

A lot of people who look at your home will not like it. It’s usuallyrepparttar 149554 “un-changeable” things they don’t care for, likerepparttar 149555 floor-plan,repparttar 149556 location, what school you’re zoned to, whether there’s a pool or not, if you have big trees or not, and so on, you getrepparttar 149557 picture. These arerepparttar 149558 things that can’t be changed and these people just don’t like them. Don’t worry, everyone’s different and you can’t change these things either.

There will, however, be plenty of people who love your “un-changeables”. For these people it will berepparttar 149559 “changeable” things that convince them to actually make an offer or just keep looking. So, what arerepparttar 149560 things that will convince these potential buyers to fall in love with your house?

First, put yourself in one of these buyer’s shoes, this shouldn’t be hard because you were there once, when you bought YOUR house. This person is in a state of mind that can be compared to a fantasy, we’ll call it “buyer’s fantasy”. They come through your house trying to “see” what it would be like living there. In their mind’s eye, they “see” themselves always wearing a smile and laughing with their friends and family. They “see” themselves entertaining, relaxing, doingrepparttar 149561 things they love and lovingrepparttar 149562 place they’re doing it.

Unapparent to them, allrepparttar 149563 things they “see” themselves doing leaves little time for cleaning, organizing, or home maintenance and repair. The last thing you want to do is take them out of their “buyer’s fantasy” by reminding them ofrepparttar 149564 responsibilities that come with owning a house, especially THIS house. You want them to live in their “fantasy”repparttar 149565 entire length of their visit, you even want them to rememberrepparttar 149566 “fantasy” in such a way that they want to return and soon.

So, what to do you need to do setrepparttar 149567 “buyer’s fantasy” in motion? Here’s a short list.

First Impressions

Curb Appeal – The front outside of your house isrepparttar 149568 first thingrepparttar 149569 prospective buyer sees. It’srepparttar 149570 beginning of his “buyer fantasy”. He sees his friends and family admiring him when they arrive at his front door. It had better be good, this will reflect on him.

Your house must, with an emphasis on must, look good fromrepparttar 149571 moment he drives up with his realtor, in other words, fromrepparttar 149572 car. First impressions are very important andrepparttar 149573 front of your home isrepparttar 149574 first thingrepparttar 149575 potential buyer sees. So, at minimum, make sure

·repparttar 149576 landscaping is maintained at all times

·repparttar 149577 lawn is mowed and edged

·repparttar 149578 grass is green

·repparttar 149579 hedges are neatly trimmed

·repparttar 149580 landscaping or flower beds are weed-free and mulched

· seasonal color? – allrepparttar 149581 better

Obvious repairs need to be made.

· make sure gutters are attached

· shutters are attached

·repparttar 149582 doorbell works

· screens have no tears

· replace rotten wood

· paint is in good shape, if not, paint or at least touch-up

If you normally park more than two cars inrepparttar 149583 driveway or onrepparttar 149584 street in front, see if you can find another place to park untilrepparttar 149585 house is sold. Maybe a neighbor will help you out, or park one car inrepparttar 149586 garage.

What you want to do is feedrepparttar 149587 “buyer’s fantasy” thatrepparttar 149588 lawn is always green, cut, and beautiful. You don’t want to remind him that he will have to do it. You want him to think there’s plenty of room for his cars even if he decides he needs another one. You certainly don’t want him to think about any minor repairs that will need to be done, so just do them yourself.

The Insides

First Things First – When a potential buyer steps intorepparttar 149589 house, it needs to smell clean. You don’t need or want to burn incense or candles, spray air fresheners, or have a Glade Plug-In going. It just needs to smell clean. You should try to eliminate cooking odors as quickly as possible after a meal is cooked and there should be no pet odors or cigarette smoke odors. Pet and smoking odors are one ofrepparttar 149590 first things that will turn a potential buyer away. Even if they smoke and own pets themselves, they don’t want to buy another person’s odors.

Cities Full of Chaotic Order

Written by Alec Ellis


I have experienced a break through - I have caught a feeling and translated it, I now understand what it is.

I have spent most of my adult life in a city, London, UK in fact, and travelling to and from cities in one country or another. I couldn’t understand why even though they were havens for chaos I felt at ease in them.

I have spent many years as a graphic designer too, all of these years in fact were inrepparttar same cities. Unfortunately being a graphic designer, unbelievably, caused me to miss this feeling, or at least miss-understand what it was. As I believe it, graphics was all about solving other people’s briefs, or theories, over short periods of time;repparttar 149453 nature of graphics.

I have often looked out ofrepparttar 149454 window while I was contemplating an idea and something made me feel good, enough to return torepparttar 149455 issue with vigour. I believe this wasrepparttar 149456 fact that I was staring out into a city.

Why do I find tranquillity in a chaotic city? A city cannot survive unless it is operating properly, so when I am in London, or Sydney, Singapore City or Paris, and others; I understand that these cities are well established, hence they must have some order.

I was day dreaming inrepparttar 149457 studio - in my late re-introduction into art, since just before Christmas 2005, after a 5 year break from Graphic Design, I have rented my own studio, and embarked on a fine-art journey, this time solving my own theories - and while taking a break from a very strenuous charcoal and pastel morning, I sat down and looked at all ofrepparttar 149458 bits of charcoal I had accumulating.

My nature providedrepparttar 149459 first part of my artists journey, fast, furious, and flowing actions. When finished I am “stuffed”. I sat down and noticed allrepparttar 149460 bits left over from burning away atrepparttar 149461 charcoal sticks. (I say burning as I have, many times been burnt, forgetting in my passion, that charcoal sticks don’t remainrepparttar 149462 same length!).

I picked one bit up while thinking, “wouldn’t it be nice to do some smaller artworks, be a change, be cheaper too”, and started rolling and smudging it around a pad of cartridge paper, A2 in size.

It felt nice. I had tons of space, and a very small piece of charcoal. I was day dreaming still and just letrepparttar 149463 paper take me where ever it wanted. Shapes appeared inrepparttar 149464 images, and still in a state of tranquillity I continued with mild direction. It was great, people love them, I feel a bit embarrassed as I am having difficulty accepting they are mine, I know I did them, but who was pushingrepparttar 149465 charcoal?

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