Jim Valentine: Buying illusions vs. reality

A clean, organized, decluttered home will show like a well maintained, loved home. As such, it will appeal to multiple personality types, but in some cases too “sterile.” It may sound funny, but it’s true. We are all different, but most people fall into three categories in the manner in which they process information. Those are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.

Approximately 80 percent of the population are visual. They want things to look right. The “sterile” home will appeal to them for its order. The visual buyer will straighten out a crooked picture as they are seeing a home. They just can’t help themselves. It has to look right. The visual buyer will notice the dings in the sheetrock, paint that needs touching up and more. They will want a good buy but will pull the trigger if it “looks right.”

The auditory buyer is the analytical. Typically engineers and accountants, they will analyze everything. They will want to see the comparable sales, active listings, and expired and discuss them. They will want to know the utility costs, maintenance costs, tax details, insurance costs, etc. They will be buying by the numbers. Is it “a good buy?”

The kinesthetic buyer often prefers clutter as it needs to “feel right” to them. They usually have a bit of clutter around their home and in their manner of dress. They will walk through getting a “feel” for the place touching things along the way. It is how they “look,” they feel their way through.

Most people have a secondary trait that can be strong and there is a little bit of each in everyone. One might be predominantly visual with a kinesthetic secondary strong trait. There are additional processing types, i.e., olfactory, gustatory. One is smell, the other taste.

This is where the cookies in the oven trick comes into play if you are a seller. You won’t know who is coming into your home to plan this, but there are ways in which you can appeal to all types of people when presenting your home for sale.

If your home is heavily kinesthetic in nature, you really won’t get it organized to appeal to the visual, but there may be other visual elements that can be enhanced. If you are a kinesthetic person and your home reflects that you will be amazed how easy it will be to sell your home when a kinesthetic prospect walks in the door. It is as easy as falling off a log.

Regardless of who is coming to look at your home, make sure it is clean, debris picked up (dirty laundry in the teenager’s room), smells nice, is homey, and highlights the best characteristics of the home. They want to buy and are looking for reasons to buy your home. Help them along.

Perception is reality. Everyone will have a “gut” feeling of the property depending on what they see, feel, or hear in their respective predominant information processing trait.

Whatever that is, it is their reality regardless of what an objective analysis of the reality would show that it really is. A visual can have blemish remedies explained and move forward. The analytical will analyze ad nauseum and needs help to buy it if it is right. The kinesthetic will flow with the sale if it feels right. Everyone is right, you need to adapt to their manner of processing information in order to appeal to them.

If someone doesn’t like your home it may have nothing to do with your home, rather it may just not suit their personality. The next prospect may be the perfect buyer to enjoy it with their family.

When it comes to choosing professionals to assist you with your Real Estate needs… Experience is Priceless! Jim Valentine, RE/MAX Realty Affiliates, 775-781-3704. dpwtigers@hotmail.com.