Last year, 560,000 homes were sold in the United States, of which about 90% were sold with the help of a real estate agent. That means that agents were responsible for selling roughly 504,000 homes. Undoubtedly, many of the sales were aided because the agent was able to help the homebuyer find value in the home. One key way of doing this, is by getting potential homebuyers excited when they enter a listing.

This article will help real estate agents to excite potential homebuyers thanks to a series of tried and true tactics. As real estate agents, it is a responsibility to present the homes in an honest and transparent way. Creating excitement does not mean misleading potential homebuyers. Rather, it means helping potential homebuyers to realize the full value or full potential of the home by being informative, and imaginative.

Stage the home

A recent article in Forbes indicated that staged homes sell 87% faster than non-staged homes. The article also cited the fact that every $100 invested in staging a home yields a $400 return. If you haven’t already, be sure to encourage the seller to stage his or her home. Doing so will help them to sell their home quickly (which can also reduce their expenses), while increasing the sale price of the home.

When staging a home, it is usually best to work with professional home designers, or with professional home stagers. They will be able to find and position pieces of furniture that accentuate the good qualities of a home.

It is also advised that the home be staged in such a way that the style appeals to many different tastes. While the seller may not care for all of the items placed in the home, politely remind them that the staging isn’t intended to appeal to their preferences.

Give the buyer space to situation themselves

When the buyer enters the home, it is best that you greet them and let them know that you are there to answer any questions. After a brief conversation, give the potential homebuyer space to explore the home on their own.

In many cases, self-discovery can be a great way for a buyer to make a meaningful connection with a home. Giving the buyer a chance to explore on their own also helps to prevent any feeling that you as the realtor are being “pushy” or “salesy” which can be off-putting for prospective buyers. 

Help the buyer to visualize their life in the home

The statistics about the effectiveness of home staging indicate that potential homebuyers need help visualizing themselves and their families in the home. Adding appropriate home furnishings is one way to help buyers visualize themselves living in a home.

Another way to help them is to ask open ended questions about how they might use the space during their daily lives. Ask them how they would use certain rooms in the home, or whether the layout of a space would work with their weekday routine. In most cases, prospects will appreciate these questions, as it can help them to think through whether the home is a good fit.

Mention the areas key selling points

The average home buyer in the United States will see nine different homes before making a purchasing decision. While buyers often are well-informed when visiting a home, chances are they won’t know all of the great selling points of purchasing a home in a specific area. They may be from out of town, or they may be looking at homes in many different locations.

As a realtor, it is a good idea to highlight some of the area’s key selling points in order to get potential buyers excited about the home. What you choose to mention should be contextually related to the buyer’s needs. Usually good topics to discuss are school quality, neighborhood home value and neighborhood safety, and unique recreation opportunities.

When discussing things like school quality, it is a good idea to quantify just how good the schools are. Doing so gives you more credibility than simply saying the schools are good. Some specifics to mention are related to the school rank in the state, or specific awards schools in the area have recently received.

Conclusion

Purchasing a home can be one of the most stressful experiences in one’s life. As a realtor, it is up to you to help prospective homebuyers find the value in the home you are selling by highlighting key features, and by mentioning important attributes of the local community.

To increase the likelihood of a sale, consider having the home professionally staged, and be sure to provide prospective buyers with enough space so that they can explore the home on their own before discussing specifics.