By Ruben Gonzalez Jr.
Prudential California Realty (DBA)
A
time-honored business principal maintains that consumers generally base their
buying decisions on emotion. Only later do they use logic, often to rationalize
their emotional decisions.
Homesellers,
working closely with their agents, will prepare their homes to evoke positive
and personal emotions for those who come inside. They should also create “takeaways”
that will keep those fond memories resonating in prospective buyers.
“One
effective takeaway is a personal letter from you describing your experience of
falling in love with the home when you were the buyer,” said Kay Steele Faulk,
a Lake Village, Ark. freelance writer.
The
letter, presented on brightly colored stationery, can describe the fun of
meeting your new neighbors and the warm friendships you’ve established in the
neighborhood. It can also recall joyous holidays around the home, show pictures
of your home during special times and list neighborhood activities scheduled
throughout the year.
“You
should recall a memorable moment of coming home, such as after the birth of a
child or after a long vacation, because these are all things buyers can relate
to emotionally, they will serve to reinforce the positive feelings buyers
experienced at your home,” Faulk said. “And to satisfy buyers’ logic—which they
will use to justify their emotional connection to your home—also describe the
loving care you’ve given the home while there.”
Once
all the words are in play to touch upon the emotions, then it’s time to write
about things that will relate to buyers’ practical sides.
Russell
Goldstein, a New Jersey-based writer who often helps homebuyers prepare
personal letters, stresses that this is the perfect way to say all the little
things you can’t always place in advertisements and fliers.
“You
can list your routine maintenance tasks plus any remodeling, updates or
upgrades you’ve done in the years you have lived there,” he said. “Include
anything that gives buyers a sense of confidence in your home’s current
condition, and be sure to mention any special features you paid high dollar
for, such as thicker exterior walls, which have better insulation values. These
are your home’s key marketing details that make it a better buy than the
competition down the street.”
A
second effective takeaway is a home brochure created around high-quality color
photographs of your home’s interior and exterior. “Use photos that highlight
your home’s most appealing features,” Faulk said. “Just be sure each photo has
a caption or short description that helps buyers remember. Even with a
brochure, you still need that all-important section meant to satisfy buyers’
logic. This can simply be a descriptive sentence followed by a list of your
home’s key marketing details and the T.L.C. you’ve given [the home] as owner.
To make for easy reading, use bullet points to highlight each item of your
list.”
If
you’re good at writing warm personal letters or if you have the ability to
create a professional-looking brochure, it’s quite acceptable to save money by
doing it yourself. If not, turn to a professional copywriter to create a
compelling takeaway that ensures a lasting emotional connection with buyers.
Ruben Gonzalez can be reached at (562) 507-0754 or E-mail me.
Prudential (dba) is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential
Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential company. Equal Housing Opportunity.
