Getting Your House Ready to Sell is Like Helping Your Daughter Get Ready for Speed Dating

The speed dating process involves meeting eligible mates for a fleeting three to five minutes. First impressions are key. Participants hope to make some kind of emotional connection leading to bigger things.

Emotional connection is key in the home selling process too. Research has proven that emotion plays a huge part in important buying decisions. As with speed dating, viewers tour your house for only a few minutes. The difference is nine times out of ten a first impression has already been made from an internet search.

You probably have a strong connection to your home and the items in it. That makes prepping it for sale as emotionally charged as seeing your beloved daughter beginning to date. We let go of our children so they can lead their own lives. And sometimes we have to let go of our home or some belongings so we can enjoy new opportunities.

The process by which a girl gets ready for an important occasion - perhaps the speed date - has many other similarities to preparing a house for the market. She may agonize over her weight. Too fat, too thin? When we start to get our home ready to sell, we usually need to put it on a 'diet' and de-clutter. We may even slim down the furnishings, putting some into storage to make the home look more spacious.

Perhaps your daughter will worry about appearance of her teeth. If your daughter`s teeth were crooked it might serve no purpose to get braces just two weeks before the big day. Likewise, when staging a house for immediate sale, it`s probably not effective to do a complete kitchen renovation. But, recognizing that a big shiny white smile is popular, our dating daughter might get a whitening treatment. Similarly a tired kitchen could be given a facelift with hardware and paint. The wise home owner tries to meet the beauty norm for houses to attract the widest group of potential buyers. This de-personalizing would involve removing family pictures and pre-packing collections. It would require stripping wallpaper and taking down very personalized draperies. It might mean toning down theme rooms or highly personalized decor choices.

Most girls love new shoes and jewellry. These finishing pieces can make an outfit look more expensive and in style. Hardware and light fixtures are often called the jewellry of the home. Changing them is a quick update and upgrade. New shoes could be compared to flooring updates.

A trip to the hairdresser is often part of the little lady`s preparations. She knows changing her hair will dramatically change her whole look instantly and inexpensively. In the home being prepared for sale, painting the walls and trim makes the big change quickly and economically. The difference is that the home seller should choose neutral and widely appealing colours rather than a unique expression of personality.

Then our little girl will typically engage in some personal scrubbing and polishing. For the home sale, one of the most cost effective things we can do is clean, clean and clean some more. It`s so important to be meticulous because it sends a message that you have taken good care of things. Home buyers find other peoples` grime a turn-off -- just like greasy hair and dirty fingernails would be a turn off on your first date.

As the hour approaches for the big date (or the open house) it`s time to get dressed (or staged). Our daughter might choose a dress in her best colour. The dress that gets the most attention could show a little skin. When dressing the house, it`s time to add colour for focal points and to tie the rooms together. As for showing some skin, with a house we should show some windows. Lighten and brighten. Draw back the window coverings and turn on the lights. It`s time to meet the boys, or the buyers, as the case may be.

And the analogy continues. If you make a connection at the speed dating party the person could ask to meet you again. That`s like viewers asking to arrange for a second look at your house. It`s a good sign. But it`s still no guarantee that there will be a proposal (offer), a pre-nuptial agreement (negotiations) or marriage (a sale.) Just like your dating daughter, the homeowner needs to keep everything looking good until the keys are handed over.