The Psychology of Selling: How to make your home irresistible to buyers​

I've been working in the real estate industry for many years now, and I've realised that every conversation, every task, every single thing I do boils down to one question;


How can I sell a home and get an amazing result?

 
So I've distilled years of experience and knowledge into the most critical and actionable things you can do to make your home irresistible to buyers (keep reading below).




Brett Reddell
Real estate agents Ormeau, Ormeau Hills & surrounds.​
1. Complete any unfinished projects
We all have those projects around the home that get put on hold due to time constraints or other reasons. You might get 70, 80 or even 90% through a DIY project or repair job before something more important comes up and you need to put it on hold.
 
I don't blame you if you have a few projects like this around your home because I sure know I have some of these at my place. They're easy to put on hold because there isn't any real urgency to get them done.
 
But when you're thinking about selling your home, you need to finish these projects off because there's a big difference between presenting something that's 100% complete versus something that's 90% complete. You want the buyers to picture themselves living in your home, not imagining themselves doing the final touches on your projects and repairs.
 
However, starting a new large project or renovations before selling must be carefully considered to ensure you'll get back what you've put in. If you need help deciding if you should go ahead with a renovation before selling, please get in touch with our team, who are more than happy to help with feedback based on our many years of experience selling real estate.
2. Become the buyer
This next tip is one of my favourites. A little-known hack is to put yourself in a buyer's shoes and do a walkthrough of your own home. It's crazy how simple yet effective this trick is to get inside a buyer's mindset and be critical of your home.
Pretend you are a buyer walking through an inspection, looking through all the details you would be checking out if you wanted to buy your house.
 
Here are some areas to think about:
 
- Curb appeal / first impressions - Make sure your front garden and entrance are neat & tidy
 
- De-clutter all spaces and bench tops to make your home look bigger.
 
- Deep clean the entire house - Buyers will notice small areas of grime, even inside cupboards.
 
- De-personalise the rooms - This allows buyers to imagine themselves in your home.

Remember that buyers also have other houses on the market to choose from, so they can be pretty detailed in their analysis.

3. Lux up your home style
It may be worth staging your home with professional furniture and decor to get a better sale result.

You want to impress potential buyers with your home's features and condition and make them feel they can move in immediately. A professional staging service helps to showcase your home's best features and makes it look spacious, inviting, and comfortable. Staging can help buyers visualise themselves living in your home and create an emotional connection with it. It can also help your home stand out from other listings and attract more attention from buyers online and offline.
 
However, staging adds to the expense of selling your home, so this cost must be carefully considered to ensure you get back more than you put in.
 
To determine if professional staging is a good option for selling your home, please ask our team because we have many years of experience staging homes in the local marketplace to get the best possible results. We're more than happy to help with free advice wherever we can.

 
- Deep clean the entire house - Buyers will notice small areas of grime, even inside cupboards.
 
- De-personalise the rooms - This allows buyers to imagine themselves in your home.

Remember that buyers also have other houses on the market to choose from, so they can be pretty detailed in their analysis.

Bonus tip - Spy on the competition
Now that you've looked through your own property through the eyes of a buyer, it's time to do the same for other properties on the market.
This will give you an idea of what you're up against when selling your home because buyers can choose between your property and any others currently for sale.
 
Look for properties similar to yours in size, number of rooms and any other relevant details.
 
You can easily search like this online to give you a reasonable idea. However, not all properties for sale and sold are available to the public, so you should only use it as a rough guide.


If you have any questions about the tips provided above or would like more information, please get in touch with our team; we are always happy to help.



Get a free appraisal to find out your home's current market value.  

Get a risk-free and no obligation professional valuation of your home. If you decide you want to take the next step in selling your home, I'll guide you through the process so you can get an incredible result.