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sellers

The first impression factor

The first impression factor in real estate is a big deal maker. Many times the first impression is more influential than a detailed analysis of the home. We've all heard of 'love at first sight'. We know it's just a saying, but beneath a lot of so-called 'sayings' is a morsel of truth. People work from emotions most of the time. Either consciously or sub-consciously, we get an impression about things that trigger either positive or negative feelings inside us.

When you take on the role of seller, you have to understand the importance of first impressions. If the buyer gets a bad first impression, your chances of selling are diminished by a big margin. There are a few places where you can improve the first impressions of your home, and it's a profitable exercise for you:

The first and most obvious area is the day that the potential buyer actually visits the home to see it firsthand. As soon as they drive up your street they begin to form their first impression. Because if they buy, they'll be driving up this same street. They not only look at the home you're selling, but at the homes around it. That's why neighbors are so important to home value. Your home should rate among the top ones that exist in that neighborhood, unless your settling for a low purchase price.

Some things you should do before the home visit is remove dead plants, rake leaves, cut grass, and generally clean up the home area. The driveway is one of the biggest points of first impression. If they feel good about pulling into your driveway, it will set a great tone for the rest of the home. Just put yourself in the buyer's shoes, and think about what you'd like to encounter if it was you.

One area that some don't think about right off lies with the pictures you take for advertising your home. These pictures need to be top quality and professional. In today's internet world, so much of the home shopping gets done on the web. If your home is listed there, it needs to be presented as good as it can be. And you should be able to give the searcher as many different looks as they can get, so they feel from their search that they truly know what the home looks like.

When you try to figure out the asking price for your home, don't be backward about asking friends. And don't be quickly offended by friendly criticism. Just take it as it is and know that different people react differently to certain situations. And this is how it will go with prospective buyers. So listen with an open mind, and see if you can improve anything to change any negative feedback.

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Home Ownership "Owning your own home is America’s unique recipe for avoiding revolution and promoting pseudo-equality at the same time. To keep citizens puttering in their yards instead of sputtering on the barricades, the government has gladly deprived itself of billions in tax revenues by letting home “owners” deduct mortgage interest payments."
Florence King (b. 1936), U.S. author. “Democracy,” Reflections in a Jaundiced Eye (1989).

"Almost any man worthy of his salt would fight to defend his home, but no one ever heard of a man going to war for his boarding house”
Mark Twain quotes (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer, 1835-1910 .