SURVEY SHOWS PEOPLE BUY HOMES WITH THEIR HEARTS, NOT THEIR HEADS

You would think that when people are thinking about the biggest purchase they will ever make in their lives, it would be rational considerations which would come first, writes Sue Hall.  But as with so many aspects of our lives, human nature means that often it is the emotions which take over.

This explains a study published last month, which found that when viewing a property, homebuyers are more likely to focus on the sellers’ furniture and artworks – which are not part of what is on sale – than they are on the structural features of the house.

The research from Zoopla found that a quarter of prospective buyers admitted to looking at photos of the vendor’s family, more than a third admire their furniture, and one in seven even take a peek into drawers and cabinets. 

Mirrors, plants and pictures got more attention than flooring, walls and ceilings.  Buyers were generally more likely to check out the quality of the current resident’s cosmetics than they were to check the water pressure or the strength of the wifi.

I have to say that this story struck a chord.  My own experience is that buyers are not really purchasing bricks and mortar, but a lifestyle.  They won’t buy a property unless they can picture themselves living there, enjoying a coffee on the patio, or taking a long bath in a sumptuous bathroom.

Apparently the average time taken to look at a home before deciding to make an offer is just 49 minutes and a fifth of buyers decide to buy within 20 minutes of arriving.  Buyers quickly get a ‘feel’ for whether the home is right for them or not.  Over a quarter of buyers put in an offer after just one viewing.

It underlines the importance of preparing your home for viewings – not just the obvious things like making sure everywhere is clean and tidy, but staging your home to demonstrate the kind of lifestyle which your potential buyer could enjoy there.

I did once sell a cottage in Cromer where the buyer took photographs of every room, and after moving in completely replicated the seller’s decoration, furniture and ornaments.  That is an extreme case (and it has to be said the vendor had great taste), but it does go to show that if you can show an envious lifestyle, you are more likely to attract a buyer.

Of course, it is always important to appeal to buyer’s ‘heads’ with factual information on your home; but this survey shows that it is also important to win their ‘hearts’, as both together will seriously enhance your chances of making a sale.