Important decisions occur almost instantaneously, within the first few seconds.
- Malcolm Gladwell, Author of Blink
Home buyers have an overwhelming number of choices for Tampa real estate. Buyers see hundreds of homes on the internet and dozens of homes in person. What will make your home captivating and compelling? Why would a buyer willing to pay a premium price for your home? There are hundreds of facts about your home, but buyers do not need many facts to make a decision. About a half dozen will suffice. When it comes to homes, we make snap judgments and emotional connections, and then we use logic to justify our decisions.
Blink
First impressions matter. In Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell shows that our snap judgments happen “enormously quick: they rely on the thinnest slices of experience … and they are also unconscious.” The ability to rapidly process thousands of bits of data and make key decisions rapidly has significant implications for how we present a home for sale. Many buyers know if house is right for them when they drive up to the curb or enter the foyer. How can your home create a memorable first impression within the first two seconds?
Pretty Good Problem
The book Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are, Rob Walker describes the “Pretty Good Problem”. Consumer Reports Magazine, for example, had report that rated 47 out of 53 kitchen ranges as “very good”. Hence, how does the buyer sift through the minor differences to decide which is the best value? How can a marketer differentiate such a product? We have the same dilemma with many Tampa neighborhoods. Homes in New Tampa, Wesley Chapel, Lutz, Fishhawk Ranch, Westchase and other areas feature similar builders, similar floor plans and similar amenities. What will differentiate your home and cause a buyer to take action?
Be a Purple Cow
Your home must be compelling in some way. In Purple Cow, Seth Godin recounts his family’s first drive through the French countryside when they became enchanted with the “storybook cows”. Within 20 minutes, however, all the cows looked alike. They were indistinguishable from one another, boring, almost invisible. If the cow were to be purple, he thought, “that would be interesting”. Why purple? Only because it would be remarkable. Not necessarily better, but at least different. While we are not suggesting that you paint your house purple, we do think your home should be remarkable and memorable in some fashion.
Take Action
How can you create a winning first impression within a few seconds? How can your home be a purple cow? Your attention to every detail: from curb appeal to clutter, from lighting to color, from flow to flowers, from scents to sounds will make a difference. Each nuance and seemingly subtle detail will enhance the emotional connection. The rapid cognition, the unconscious process of first impressions, can be impacted by serenading the five senses with a home staging plan.
Contact Annette, Doug or Dale Bohannon at Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in Tampa Florida for a plan.
