It's the fluff, not the substance. It's the sizzle, not the steak. It's what you first see when you enter a house, a building, a supermarket, an auto dealership. Researchers have studied just how important that first few seconds of impression is to consumers that can eventually result in a decision to buy. Color, dimension, condition, fragrance, lighting, and sound, among other features, all force our senses to give us what may be equivalent to computer-like emotional readings of a new object or environment, affecting our eventual decisions.

One great example of this? Take the stores at shopping malls. A women's clothing store usually has an elaborate display table as you enter, with the colors and layout of every garment appearing there chosen for the impression it will make on the shopper. It entices you to look further and see whether even more of their merchandise is as alluring as that first look was. We hear the pulsating rhythm of the background music and glide over the shiny floors. Perfectly stacked folded garments create a colorful tapestry on high shelves, displayed over racks of neatly hung clothes on matching hangers. They've got us.

So it goes with the way model home furnishers beckon shoppers to enter new homes. Floor plans with formal entryways have the best advantage, displaying works of art, elegant staircases, and generous expanses of hardwood and tile underfoot as we are forced to peer further. The sights delight our eyes, with color, lights on everywhere, uncovered windows (only clever window valances and tie-backs abound), the smell of potpourri and newness, and filtered soft music wafting from heat registers, somewhere behind the walls. The same core of colors flows throughout the house, but somehow make each room appear different. A fireplace magically flames up, a computer-controlled piano begins playing as we enter the living room. Pictures of magazine-like happy families grace cleverly accessorized tabletops, and fake bread and fruit look good enough to eat on the kitchen island. It's all there for the taking, for the dreaming and, of course - for the buying!

It's not a bad idea to take a tip from all those clever marketers and listen to the researchers when we go to prepare our home for a (hopefully) full price, lightening-quick sale.

First, stand at the end of your driveway and see what the house and front yard look like in as objective a manner as you can muster. Is the lawn is great shape? Shrubs trimmed? Flowers and color everywhere? No? The flower thing is easily fixed, even if you don't want to have to put the gardening gloves on. Go to the garden center at Home Depot or Target and grab a few "color bowls" to display near your home's entry, no matter what time of year it is (perhaps not in the snow). Are there cars on the driveway? Move them or contain them. Garage doors closed? Lights on?

Now look at your exterior entryway. Is it clean, is the door in good shape, the doorbell in operating order, and the door handle in good condition? You're the only one who can decide if it's worth it to replace something this simple just for a first impression. But then again, what do you really have to lose, if it may very well reap you more money for your house?

If you're anything like me, when you're looking for a car and read used-car ads, you tend to pay more attention to those that say "brand new tires, recently serviced, all maintenance records, one owner, excellent condition" than the other garden variety of classifieds. Think about your house this way. What will grab a potential buyer's attention?

Scrutinize the entry foyer. Are shoes lined up there? Do you display umbrellas and coats cluttering a teetering rack? Is there a doggie bone underfoot and your kids' backpacks poised to greet a potential buyer? The buyer has to mentally make all of that disappear to picture himself as an occupant there. Why make him go to all that trouble?

I think you see what I mean. Set the stage. Paint the picture. Store away the clutter or-better yet, get rid of it. De-personalize some of the house without taking away its warmth. Make counter and tabletops as free of personal items as possible. When you know buyers are coming through, turn all the lights on, pull up all the blinds, set your stereo on light jazz, plug in the scented thinga-ma-bobs and then magically disappear.

Your agent stands ready to help you with any and all of this, but may hesitate to be totally frank with you as to what will need to be done for your house to show at its best, all for fear of insulting you. So ask. And tell the agent that nothing she suggests is an affront to you if she thinks it will help. After all, expert advice is what you're paying her for.

Model homes, shopping mall stores and used car ads may be extreme examples to use here, but paying attention to detail and trying to stand on the "outside looking in" may very well mean the difference between a buyer's agent calling on behalf of their clients to say, "Oh. They thought your house was very nice…." And "My buyers really thought your house showed great. They may be back!"

Published: September 29, 2000

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