First and Last Impressions

Recently I was called in to stage a home for sale and while doing the initial walk through I found a couple of problems. The overall house was nice but the first and last impressions were really bad.

I have already spoken a lot about first impressions, curb appeal. Getting people to want to come into the home to view it...and ultimately fall in love with it. And frankly, I think most people understand the concept of first impressions. The issue here is that if you don't have a great first impression then you MUST have a great last feeling, something to carry your buyer through to an offer.

Unfortunately most sellers don't spend the time at the back of the house when preparing it to sell. They are too overwhelmed, hoping that a buyer just won't notice. But they do. It is at this point that most sellers make their final call.

In the house I was recently called in to stage the master bedroom was in the back, and the master bathroom was behind that - the last stop on the train. It was horrid. Not only was it an awful color the tile in the shower didn't match the rest of the tile and the toilet was brown. The actual color brown. The idea that the future owner was going to be comfortable taking on this job was not an optimistic one. Maybe in a better economy but now if a buyer has any money it is put into the purchase price leaving nothing left for fixer-uppers.

In the case of bathrooms I always suggest getting the space clean with fresh linens. Update light fixtures and when the tile is bad, my go-to option is always Miracle Method, a bathtub and tile refinisher. It is truly a miracle. They will cover most flaws and can bring any bathroom to a clean white space. I love white tile in a bathroom - it is bright and clean.

So, when thinking of selling, if you can't fix up the front then please make sure that the last stop will carry the reluctant buyer through to an offer.