Selling Your House? Make the Most of Buyer's Senses in a Crowded Real Estate Market

Millions, perhaps billions, of dollars are spent every year by companies researching ways to get you to buy things. You can take advantage of all that wisdom and create maximum opportunities in your own home for potential buyers by considering each sense and how it relates to buyer's desires to imagine themselves having a life in your home.

1) SMELL: The most powerful of all senses, it's easy to capture a sense of the possible with smell. Freshly cut grass, cookies or bread straight from the oven, newly harvested flowers in a pretty vase, scented soaps. Each room is an opportunity to create a mood in your home that weaves together scent with the other senses. And remember: buyers can tell when you're too lazy to clean and are covering up with candles, sprays and other artificial scents.

2) TOUCH: Buyers are touchy...we all are. Fresh towels, newly shampooed carpets, fluffy pillows...they all look inviting and touchable, even if buyers don't touch at all. So make sure that door handles, cabinets, drawer pulls and anything else that would be normally handled are clean, grease-free and shiny. And now is NOT the time to save on your electric bill...if it's hot, turn up the AC...buyers will immediately notice when they enter and will linger longer. The same for heat...if it's cold out, make sure buyers aren't in a hurry to leave by being stingy with the warmth.

3) TASTE: Having fresh-baked bread or cookies out for a showing or an Open House not only makes the place smell more inviting and homey, but for a harried couple on their way home from work or with kids in tow...a quick snack at the right time can be remembered well after they leave. Think about non-utensil food, with minimal spilling and crumbs to deal with, that aren't too salty. Bottled water for really hot days can be a boon to buyers who've been out all day with an agent going from house to house, too.

4) SOUND: Barking dogs in your backyard are a distraction...so think about how your home sounds when you're there. If it's nice weather and the windows are open, think about the kind of impression you're giving buyers. If you know the neighbors argue daily at the same time, close the windows. Don't run the dishwasher before you walk out the door to leave for a showing. Consider a CD playing in the background...barely audible, no lyrics...something to set your buyer's mood, without distracting them.

5) SIGHT: Everything is up for scrutiny when your home is for sale, and the bulk of the evaluation will be done by sight. Drawers, closets, attics, basements, garages, backyards, under sinks...it's all fair game to nosy buyers and now is not the time to skimp on cleanliness or tidiness. Things that seem normal and everyday to you about your home may seem wacky, foreign and out of place to a newcomer. Go for neutral colors, get rid of the family pictures and clutter. Think how inviting an upscale hotel room is...nothing personal, yet tastefully done and you feel like you can make yourself right at home.

Buyers see homes as commodities; interchangeable and none quite perfect which is why most buyers see a lot of houses before purchasing. Take advantage of the laziness exhibited by most sellers and go the extra mile by keeping all of your buyer's senses in mind.