The Importance of Curb Appeal and First Impressions
First impressions count. We dress our best for a job interview and spend hours in front of a mirror before a first date. According to research by psychologists at Princeton University, we make up our minds about someone else within 1/10th of a second of meeting them for the first time. This research found that the longer the first impression, the more our initial opinions are reaffirmed. Only with long exposure and experience can we overcome our initial preconceptions.
First impressions are crucial when you’re selling your Southern Maryland home, too. Potential buyers don’t stick around long enough to change their initial opinion of a property.
What is Curb Appeal?
The phrase ‘curb appeal’ is an old real estate term. Before the Internet and smartphones, potential buyers would form their first impression of a property while standing outside in the street or sitting in their car, parked next to the curb. A Southern Maryland real estate agent would have faxed or called the buyer with the address and details of the property, and the buyers would have driven or walked past to decide if they wanted to see the inside of the house.
Sellers knew that their house had to look appealing enough from the curb to entice buyers to arrange a viewing. If the house didn’t make a good impression, potential buyers would move on. Southern Maryland home sellers would spend days planting flowers, painting fences, cutting the lawn, and making other home improvements. Curb appeal was essential to preparing a property to go on the market and for actually getting potential buyers through the door.
Web Appeal is Today’s Curb Appeal
Traditional curb appeal still matters today, but potential buyers make their first impressions based on that they see online on their computers and smartphones. If they don’t like that they see when scrolling through the photos of an online listing, they’re not like to want to see the property in person.
Listing online means buyers can see the inside and outside of a Southern Maryland home without ever setting foot on the property. The exterior appearance of a home is still important – and should remain high on the seller’s list of priorities – it is most valuable when a buyer physically visits or drives buy a home. Remember – if the online listing doesn’t make a good first impression, they may never get that far. Web appeal is the new curb appeal: A home’s interior and exterior both need to impress to draw in potential buyers. If a home is not presented well in the photos of the online listing – maybe the photos are snapshots instead of professional shots, are not high resolutions, or no care was taken to prepare the exterior and interior before photos were taken – the traditional curb appeal of a home is worthless. Buyers won’t ever visit the property.
Web Appeal Advice for Those Selling Their Home
You can no longer avoid web appeal when selling your Southern Maryland home. Sellers should take plenty of time to prepare the inside and outside of their homes before photos are taken. High-quality, professional photos will showcase your home and make the best possible first impression on potential buyers.
The importance of web appeal means that sellers have to work harder to prepare their home for sale than in the past. Buyers make their first impression almost immediately upon viewing the online listing, which means sellers have one opportunity to make that first impression a positive one. The property still needs to be attractive when standing on the curb, but it also needs to look great online, too.
Lexington Park MD Homes for Sale and Real Estate Services in Southern Maryland. You now have a search engine to help you with your Southern Maryland home search! And I’m ready to provide you with a custom home valuation if you’re considering selling your home. Let’s connect to discuss how I can help you. Contact Kimberly Bean at 301-440-1309
