Apartment Living: Finding the Right Place to Call Home

Are you hoping to sell your home quickly? Then take the time and effort to make your house more appealing to the five senses. This is an area where your real estate agent could really use your help. And it also means doing more than just cleaning and tidying up. It entails doing specific things that will target a buyer's five senses. Why should you worry about these senses?  Because home buyers are often driven to purchase a house for emotional reasons -- they "fall in love" with the kitchen in a house; they "hate" the color schemes. Targeting the five senses is a way to appeal to a buyer's emotional side.  

 Sight

According to US News and World Report, buyers often decide on whether they love a home the minute they see it. So curb appeal is equally as important as sprucing up the interior of your home. Stand out in the street and study your home with a critical eye. Do you see dead plants? Is your house shrouded in overgrown trees and bushes? Then take the time to trim plants and clean up the exterior of your home. As for the interior:

• Consider renting out a storage space and then set about decluttering your home. For example, remove some pieces of furniture to make rooms look bigger and pack away knick-knacks and personal items.
• Hire a professional stager. If your furniture is hopelessly outdated or your house is empty, have your home professionally staged so that it can look its very best. Professional stagers know how to highlight the best features of your home and also how to draw a buyer's attention away from the less attractive areas.
• Paint the house in a neutral color. According to AOL Real Estate, 94 percent of agents recommend that their clients paint their homes as part of the home sale process.

Sound

If your house backs to a busy road or a noisy school and has older windows, consider replacing them with sound-reducing windows. Although costly, these windows could help you sell your house. Another tip -- have soft music playing in the background during showings to help mask the sounds coming in from the outside.

Smell

Smells can be a big turn-off to prospective buyers, so resist the urge to cook your favorite curries, Brussels sprouts, fish and other food that have strong odors until you have sold your home. And if you have pets, you may want to find a friend or neighbor who can watch them until you sell your house. Pet odors such as a musty dog bed or a dirty cat litter box can be a big negative with some buyers and could lead to them wondering if your pets may have soiled the carpets and padding or done other types of damage in the house.

Of course, smells can also be a big turn-on. So some real estate agents recommend baking bread or cookies on the day of a showing to give your house a homey feel. Others suggest putting pretty-smelling flowers out, which are both pleasing to the eye and to the nose.

Taste

So if you're going to bake cookies or bread, consider leaving some on the counter for potential homebuyers. While delicious baked goods may not sell the house, it could leave a memorable impression that will set your home apart when the buyers reflect on the various properties they visited during their search.

Touch

Yes, your house may appear clean, but have you wiped down the doorknobs and the handles to your refrigerator, drawers and cabinets. Sometimes, these can feel sticky and nasty to the touch. So, remember, to give these a good cleaning before opening your home to prospective buyers.

If you want to sell your home quickly, it's important that it not only shows well, but that it also appeals to all of a buyer's five senses.