We live in a World where most of us are bombarded with never-ending streams of information to process.
And that information overload is leading to people making snap judgments quicker than ever before.
We see it regularly at Forbes Estates when people view a property for the first time.
In most cases I’d say a person has made up their mind about a property in 20-30 seconds. Yes, that quickly.
It’s a combination of potential buyers forming an initial opinion by looking at photos of the property online and then when they turn up for the viewing how the property looks on the outside, the condition of the front door, windows and the hallway etc.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard people say “we love it” or “it’s not for us” within half a minute of walking into a property.
So, does your home pass the 20 second test? Answer these five simple questions to find out:
- If you are putting your home on the market have you had a major declutter ahead of when the agent’s photographer comes to take photos?
- Are any exterior fittings such as garden baskets, loose paving stones, even the doorbell in good working order? Little things get noticed by viewers and go towards forming an overall and almost instant opinion.
- What about the garden, has it been maintained and looking at its best, have the weeds been removed, has the lawn been mowed recently and don’t forget to power wash the patio and entertaining areas. You want people to look at it and think ‘WOW that looks nice’ rather than ‘that looks like even more work for us to do’. If you don’t have a lawn think about any communal / entrance points to your property, are they tidy?
- Have you cleaned your front door in the last six weeks? Have you cleaned your windows, do you have a fresh and clean welcome mat outside the door?
- Is your hallway / entrance cluttered with shoes, bags, coats and other stuff? The hallway / entrance area is an important part of a property when it comes to making a good initial welcoming impression.
If you’ve answered ‘no’ to most of the questions above your property would more than likely fail the 20 second test in most viewers’ eyes. We only have one chance of making a good first impression!
But don’t despair with a few simple remedies and the advice of an experienced agent like Forbes you’ll soon be passing the same test with flying colours and welcoming potential buyers into your property.
If you’re thinking of selling or letting and if you would like a SOLD or LET sign outside your property quicker, we’d love to hear from you so get in touch with Forbes Estates, our team is always here to help. Call 01257 273324, DM or drop us an email at info@forbesestates.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
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Best regards
Paul
