Have you ever driven though a neighborhood and noticed For Sale signs coming and going but there is that one house that has not sold and it is still sitting there waiting for a buyer?

I spoke to a friend of mine the other day who actually sold his home as a for-sale by-owner and he had his house sold within 4 days. His neighbor’s house has been on the market already for several months.

Most the time you hear agents speak about location, location, location.

Many times you cannot control the location of your home unless you are willing to pick it up and move it. With trending neighborhoods, a good location might turn into an undesirable location and an undesirable location may turn into the new hot spot. Location is one of those things you cannot control so focus on the things you can control.

What is under your control?

• Cleanliness of the inside and outside
• Yard maintenance
• Property maintenance
• Interior decoration

Have your ever gone to the grocery store with the intention of picking up only one item and discover when returning to your car you had many items, but not the one you wanted? Think of your home like that grocery store. It is up to you and you’re listing agent to spark the interest of a potential buyer to as many characteristics of your house as possible.

In a store, the end caps at the end of each isle have a specific purpose and your end cap is the exterior of your home. The purpose for the end cap, and your exterior of your house, is to entice the buyer to take a look inside. The stores use high profit items to lure you to the end cap and all of the sudden you are inside the isle and see other things you think you would like to have.

Each item in each isle is strategically placed on the shelves. Have you ever noticed the more reasonable priced items are on the bottom shelve and the more lucrative items are right at eye height? Your isle is the interior of the house. So let’s put the more “reasonable priced” items like personal pictures, trophies and additional clutter on the very bottom of the shelve (storage) and put the more buyer appealing items at eye height. And remember, sometimes less is more.

The next time you go grocery shopping check out the lighting in the store. Have you ever noticed that the store has different types of lighting? Some areas have a more cool looking lighting and others have brighter lighting. Now translate this to your house you want to sell. The more inviting the lighting is in your house the more appealing it looks to the buyer.

Keep this in mind! Think of your home like that of a grocery store. It is up to you and you’re listing agent to entice the buyer to make them shop.

When you have any questions, or would like to have the Settles Team help you make your home look more appealing to a buyer, contact the Settles Team.