You are ready to put your home for sale on the market. This is not an easy task and can be quite challenging and requires a focused effort on the sellers’ part. Of course, this is only important if you want to get the highest price possible for your home.

Did you know that approximately 80% of buyers purchase a home based on emotion? We want to capture the buyer’s emotions when they walk in your front door. This isn’t too difficult or expensive to accomplish as long as we put some thought and focus into this.

The first thing you want to do is put on a “buyer hat”, go outside and walk up to your home. How do you feel? Are you excited? Do you like what you see? What could you do to entice the emotions of the buyer? In almost every facet of business we have heard the term “First impressions count”. This is also true in real estate. Another popular saying is “Does the home have curb appeal”? Both the inside and the outside of the home should have “curb appeal”.

What is the first thing a buyer notices when they drive up to your home? That’s right, the outside. Is your lawn manicured? Are the trees and shrubs trimmed? Are there cobwebs around your front door or in the entryway? Can you do something to spruce up the front door that is faded by the sun? Yes, that first impression counts. Be attentive to these small and easy fixable items and it will grab the buyer’s emotion and want them to see more.

When the buyer opens the front door what is the first thing they see? Don’t have a large piece of furniture too close to the entry. You do not want the buyer’s eyes to focus on one particular piece of furniture that will take away their line of sight from the living room or family room, which is usually directly in view once you enter the home.

You don’t have to have exquisite pieces of furniture to make a room look inviting. Move the furniture around so the appearance of the room seems larger than it is and feels good to the buyer. We actually call this “staging” a home and it can play a huge part on the buyer’s emotions.

And finally, be sure your kitchen and bathrooms are sparkling and uncluttered. If these areas are clean, buyers will feel comfortable that the rest of the home is clean as well. Almost every buyer will look inside the oven. Ovens are self-cleaning so be sure you use this feature. Clear off countertops and you will be amazed how much more functional the kitchen will appear to the buyer.

There is really little effort and steps to take to assure us a higher price when we sell our home. We want to feel good about our investment.

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Prior to the 1990’s, real estate purchase contracts were only two pages and were written to protect the “seller”. All real estate professionals pretty much represented the “seller”, not the buyer in any transaction. Today, real estate purchase contracts are eleven pages with several pages of addendums and are written to protect the “buyer”. In the earlier days of real estate, the agent, hired by the buyer was working for the seller. This meant that everything the buyer discussed with the agent was disclosed to the seller.

Could you imagine telling your agent personal information about your situations, finances, etc. and then they would relay this information to the listing agent of the home you made an offer on? It was assumed by the buyer, the agent was looking out for their best interests.

Now that the rules have changed, real estate agents are now required to discuss in detail an “Agency Disclosure” form which is one part of the purchase contract. This disclosure form explicitly states who the agent represents. This form should be signed by the party that the agent is representing and is by no means a commitment from the buyer. It is only a disclosure and should be signed PRIOR to the writing of a purchase contract.

Over the years I’ve known several buyers who actually think they will save money by dealing directly with the agent who is the listing agent on a property. This listing agent then writes an offer on behalf of the buyer but the agent’s fiduciary duty is to get the highest price for the seller, not the lowest price for the buyer. This strategy can actually cost the buyer thousands of dollars more when the negotiations start.

Being represented “exclusively” by your agent is crucial in a real estate transaction. Here’s a good example; you call the listing agent off a sign you see in a front yard and ask them to show you the property. You preview the home, love it and ask to make an offer. When you discuss offer price, you tell the listing agent you would be willing to go higher but you want to start at a lower price. When the listing agent presents the offer to the seller, they can tell their seller you are willing to go higher. So the seller immediately counters your offer with a higher price.

Another example is the buyer who walks in a new home subdivision. The sales agent discusses their models, floor plans, etc but is actually looking out for the best interests of the builder/seller.

As a buyer, always consider hiring a real estate professional that will exclusively represent you and have the agent take you to the model homes on your first visit. Model home sales offices will not allow an agent to represent the buyer if the agent does not escort them on their first visit.

Although the “Buyer Broker Exclusive Employment Agreement” is not standard practice, they should be. This is an agreement between the buyer and the real estate agent which discloses responsibilities and fiduciary duties between both parties. As a buyer, don’t you want to know your agent is representing you “exclusively” and the agent will due their due diligence in offering you the best service possible? The agreement by no means forces a buyer to purchase a home, but rather an agreement that discloses loyalty between the buyer and their agent.