When buyers walk through your home, they’re looking for certain features that they’ll have listed as nice-to-have and must-have.
Serious or experienced buyers will often have these features written down, and some will even tick them off as they go from room to room.
This is a good sign because it means you made a good first impression, and they’re at their earliest stages of consideration.
Less experienced buyers tend to wander without a gameplan – a little like going to an art gallery and stopping only at the paintings that catch their eye.
As a result, an agent can get some interesting feedback on a buyer’s visit.
So, what do folks notice when visiting your home?
Obviously, size and layout dominate their thinking. The first impression of entering the property creates a filter through which they judge the rest of their experience with you.
And if the home is not clean and tidy, you get lots of negative comments.
A few other comments indicate your choice of furniture or color scheme distracts the buyer.
However, if you can minimize the following “distractions”, then you’ll give your prospective buyers a five-star experience. Here are some typical comments.
Too many pillows – When preparing your home, you should always strive to make every room look spacious. Lots of pillows can make the bedroom feel smaller because it makes the bed appear so much bigger.
Curtain lengths – If your curtains rest against the floor, the room looks unattractive and poorly prepared. To solve this issue, pull the curtains as far from the windows as possible, and tie them in place.
Size of furniture – It’s always tempting to buy a huge couch, but sometimes your living area just isn’t big enough for it to fit comfortably. As a result, space seems cramped. If you have this challenge, a good agent will suggest staging your home with rented furniture to put it in the best possible light.
Rugs and cushions – If you overload on both of these, buyers will also mark you down in terms of adequate space.
Lighting – Layered lighting is ideal for a home inspection. You don’t want to dazzle anyone. Instead, show how the kitchen has functional lighting for workspaces, and how warm lighting from lamps can make the living area feel warm and inviting.
Ornaments – Some buyers will comment on the fussy layout of the home, even though this is a personal choice. Good agents will always recommend that you depersonalize your home so buyers can envisage themselves living in your apartment or house, rather than be surrounded by someone else’s family photos and holiday souvenirs.