Comparing Apples to ...Houses?

A home is a much more important purchase than a few apples, but the buying process isn't all that different. When buyers shop for apples, they first search for available choices with the charcteristics they want. If they want to make apple pie, they might decide to look for Granny Smiths. When they find a bin of them at the store they will start looking closely at individual apples to make sure they select the best. They usually pick them up and turn them over to see all sides and maybe even give them a sniff. Which ones go in the shopping bag? Of course. It's the ones that look, feel and smell the best. Those with a bruise or blemish will be left behind.

When home buyers start shopping, instead of Granny Smiths they might be looking for three bedroom bungalows in a particular suburb. But then, we really start to see similarities in the buying process. They look at pictures, go to see the houses, touch things and experience the smells. The shopping list of desired features becomes secondary to having a nice look and feel.

The better your house compares to the competition when you are selling, the more success you will have. In fact, if there is lots of competition, you have to beat at least some of them in order to sell at all. There are always nice houses coming onto the market, so you can't simply wait til yours is the only one available. In the end, apples or houses, it's still the best looking ones with the nicest feel and smell which are sold first and get the highest prices.

Making your house look better than the competition is one of the many benefits of staging before you sell.