First Impressions Count

The first impression of your home begins online where more than 95% of buyers are looking for houses. They are looking at houses, and ruling out houses based on what they see online. So your online presence counts a lot more than it used to. What factors constitute your online presence?

What Is Your Online Presence?

Obviously photos are a huge part of your online presence. That's why I put a very strong importance on quality photos. I am a professional real estate photographer shooting hundreds of houses per year for other agents. You can take a look at the quality of my photos throughout this website, as well as (MinneapolisVirtualTour.com) my photography site. But photography isn't everything. Staging and decorating come before photography. You need to have your house looking its best before taking high quality photos.

After photography, there are other factors that go into your online presence. These include a virtual tour, a dedicated website, having accurate data, and more. Each of these go towards your virtual "first impression."

Second Impressions Count

Selling a house is a pain, especially the showings part of it. If you have kids and someone requests a showing at 6 pm - 7 pm, it can get difficult to get things picked up while making dinner. But second impressions do count. What do I mean by the second impression? It's the moment the buyer walks in the door of your home. What they see, what they smell, how it feels, etc. Here is a list of a few things that you can do to help control the second impression:

• Don't cook fragrant foods such as fish, or curry
• Feel free to cook "warming foods" such as freshly baked bread or cookies or brownies
• Keep toys put away, or at least in a corner of a family room
• Have a "bills area" that is hidden away in a drawer
• Have lights on, if possible
• Freshly vacuum if possible
• Leave the house before they get there
• Make sure pets are taken care of

Anything you can do to make the buyers feel warm and welcome is good

Additional Resources:

Selling 101: Professional Photography

Selling 101: Staging and Decorating

https://www.stevenhong.com/sellers/7-signs-of-a-bad-showing/