Selling Your Home - Why Should Buyers Choose Yours?

November 20, 2008

Assuming certain factors are the same - such as location, amenities, approximate price range, features - what would entice a buyer to put an offer on your house instead of another in your subdivision?

It’s been my experience that most buyers lack imagination when it comes to looking at properties. They are effected by your decorating, your taste and how your home makes them feel. Only about 20% can detach themselves from your decorations and imagine their home in its place.

So how do you appeal to the 80% of buyers who want to walk into your house and feel at home?

The first step is to de-clutter your home. Any clutter translates into a read-between-the-lines detractor of “not enough storage space”. If you truly don’t have enough storage space for all of your possessions, treasured though they may be, then rent a small storage space. Go through your home and remove everything except the most flattering and visually appealing items. Your home does not want to look bare, but it needs to give the impressions of elegance and space.

The next step is to take care of any maintenance issues before you put the home on the market. You may be temped to say, “I’ll fix anything their home inspector finds”, but in my experience, your initial offer will be lower (or even non-existent) if the impression the buyers get is that you have not taken care of the home. So replace rotten wood, fix and paint damaged or grubby walls, replace torn or damaged flooring, service HVAC units before you call your real estate agent.

The final step is to thoroughly clean the home. Hire someone to help you do a deep spring cleaning - clean baseboards, polish mirrors, shampoo carpets. Make your home sparkle. Buyers will notice on a subconscious level that the home is clean. Why do you think new homes are so attractive to buyers? It’s because no-one’s dirt is there - it’s virgin and pristine.

Once you have listed the home, keep it clean and tidy. Make beds and put away dishes before you leave in the morning. So often I’ve tried to make appointments to show a home, and the seller has said that we’ll have to come back another day because they left the home in a mess that day. Normally there is no “another day”. So if there is a day you’ve had to run out in a hurry, take a deep breath and let it be shown anyway and hope that the buyers are the 20% that can imagine the dishes in their right place!

As of 11/25/09 the Gregory Albers RePage is ranked at 1,510 with 180 points.
The monthly top RePage owner will receive a cash prize. Help this agent by bookmarking this site and posting it to blogs and other Web pages and encourage others to visit.

Local Information for Corydon, IN

Latitude: 38.212724 -- Longitude: -86.125318

Other Area Cities: Corydon New Albany

Enter our Photo Sweepstakes and Win $200 for your Corydon photos!

To see random photos for other cities Click Here.

Submit your photos of Corydon and become eligible to win $200. Click Here for details.

Corydon became the second territorial capital of Indiana in 1813, when it was moved there from Vincennes. The future U.S. President, William Henry Harrison, lived for a time, in Corydon. The state constitution was drawn up in Corydon during the summer of 1816. The 43 delegates in charge of writing the state's constitution met inside the Harrison County Courthouse. Because of the summer heat and the cramped nature of the courthouse, the delegates would often seek refuge outside under a giant elm tree. This tree is now known as the Constitutional Elm tree. Its trunk is still preserved. The town served as the first state capital of Indiana from 1816–1825 (the capital was moved to Indianapolis in 1825). The Old Capitol Building is now a state historic site. Corydon was the site of the only Civil War battle fought in Indiana. On July 9, 1863, a Confederate contingent led by Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan crossed from Kentucky into Indiana during what became known as "Morgan's Raid." -- Source: Wikipedia.com

Indiana 2000 Census Population Profile Map

	Corydon	Indiana	United States
Population	2,715	6,080,485	281,421,906
Median age	41.4	35.2	35.3
Median age for Male	36.8	33.9	34
Median age for Female	45.3	36.5	36.5
Households	1,171	2,336,306	105,480,101
Household population	2,536	5,902,331	273,643,273
Average household size	2.17	2.53	2.59
Families	674	1,602,501	71,787,347
Average family size	2.81	3.05	3.14
Housing units	1,271	2,532,319	115,904,641
Occupied units	1,171	2,336,306	105,480,101
Vacant units	100	196,013	10,424,540

Visit US Census