Want to sell your home faster than your neighbor’s?
The power of atmosphere may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to selling your home. It’s more than just making your home look nice or smell good. Atmosphere is about psychology. It’s about creating a feeling in your home that buyers notice when they walk in the front door.
When buyers walk in the door, you only get a few seconds to get them hooked. Atmosphere is that hook. It’s the first thing that draws buyers in. They need to fall in love with your home. But they can’t fall in love with an empty or messy space. They need to feel like your home is their home. That’s where atmosphere comes in.
But without the right welcoming atmosphere all the other selling techniques and tips you try to apply to your home won’t get you any closer to a fast sale.
What you’ll discover:
- Atmosphere is the most powerful part of selling your home
- The psychology behind buyer thinking
- Small tweaks that make a BIG difference with buyers
- High-Impact staging secrets
Atmosphere Is The Most Powerful Part Of Selling Your Home
Creating a welcoming atmosphere for your home is one of the most neglected (yet most important) parts of the home selling process. Atmosphere is the backbone of effective home selling. Get this part right, and it’ll give your sale a huge boost. Get this part wrong, and it could kill your sale before it starts.
Here’s the brutal truth, you have 73% more chance to sell a home when your house is staged than when it isn’t. That is crazy! What’s even crazier is how creating the right welcoming atmosphere is a factor in that number.
Here is the important thing to remember:
Buyers are looking to make an emotional decision within a few seconds of stepping through your front door. They make that decision based on how the home feels to them and their emotions. If they don’t connect to the space, they won’t waste their time or money on it.
We all know selling a house in a market like Chicago is as competitive as it gets. In a buyer’s market like this, working with professional house flippers who say “we buy houses across Chicago” can be a game-changer for your sale. The reason why is that they completely understand this buyer psychology.
The National Association of Realtors reported that over 80% of buyers have a hard time imagining the potential of an empty house or home that’s messy or cluttered. This says it all when it comes to why atmosphere matters.
The Psychology Behind Buyer Thinking
The best part about creating a welcoming atmosphere in your home is you have 100% control over it. Everything that happens in your home during showings is your responsibility.
Buyers want 2 things:
- An emotional connection with the home they are buying, in other words, a home they feel like they belong in.
- Buyers want to be able to see their ideal life happening in your home.
So when these 2 things are working for you, magic is happening in your home during showings. Buyers are subconsciously picturing themselves making coffee on Sunday morning in your kitchen. They see themselves hosting family dinner parties in your dining room.
This isn’t just feel good talk; this is supported by actual statistics. The numbers say that staged homes can sell for as much as 15% more than non-staged homes. Almost half of all buyers are more likely to visit a home in person if the online pictures make the space look inviting and welcoming.
This means that creating the right atmosphere doesn’t just help during physical home showings. It helps you get buyers through the front door in the first place.
Small Tweaks That Make A Big Difference With Buyers
Creating a welcoming atmosphere doesn’t have to break the bank. Some of the best atmosphere-boosting tips are low-effort and low-cost.
Lighting: The secret atmosphere weapon
Lighting changes everything. Dark rooms are instantly smaller and depressing. Bright, well-lit rooms feel more open and optimistic. So if you want to improve the atmosphere in your home, get the lighting right.
Here are my top tips:
- Open all the curtains and blinds during showings
- Replace all burnt-out bulbs with brighter LEDs
- Add table lamps to create cozy pools of light
- Strategically place mirrors to bounce natural light around rooms
Scent: The power of smell
Did you know scent is one of the most powerful home-selling tools out there? A good or bad smell can make or break a buyer’s decision. We often underestimate just how important our sense of smell is when it comes to creating an emotional connection.
Smell don’ts:
- Strong artificial air fresheners
- Pet smells, even if you think they’re not too strong
- Cooking smells from onions or spices
- Smells like old or musty air
Smell dos:
- Freshly baked cookies (the classic for a reason)
- Vanilla or cinnamon candles
- Fresh flowers in key rooms
- Fresh air – just open a window
Decluttering: Keep it clean and simple
Clutter kills home atmosphere dead in its tracks. If buyers are looking at your stuff everywhere they look, they can’t picture your life in your home. Decluttering isn’t just about getting rid of stuff, it’s about directing buyers’ attention to the space itself.
Key high-impact decluttering areas include:
- Kitchen countertops should be EMPTY
- Bathroom surfaces – clear away everything except minimal toiletries
- Bedroom nightstands – just a lamp and maybe one book
- Living room coffee table – one decorative item at the most
High-Impact Staging Secrets That Really Work
Want to take your atmosphere game to a whole new level? Check out these expert tips used by pros to create that home-selling wow factor.
Room-by-room psychology
Different rooms need different atmosphere approaches because buyers have different expectations for different spaces.
Living Room:
This is the heart of family life, so make it feel like that. Furniture should be arranged to encourage conversation areas.
Buyers want to cook here, so let them. Empty all counters except one beautiful bowl of fresh fruit.
Master Bedroom:
Make this feel like a retreat from the world. Neutral bedding and soft lighting will help.
Bathrooms:
Give these the spa treatment. Fresh towels and a few nice toiletries.
Flow factor
Good home atmosphere isn’t just about individual rooms, it’s about how buyers flow through the entire house.
These flow tips are what you need:
- Remove furniture that obstructs natural walking paths
- Use a consistent color scheme throughout rooms
- Make sure lighting flows smoothly from room to room
- Create sightlines that lead the eye to best features of your home
Temperature and comfort factor
Buyers’ physical comfort has a direct effect on their emotional response to your home. If they’re hot, they can’t love your home. If they’re cold, they won’t want to picture their lives in your home.
Comfort is optimized by:
- Temperature set to a nice comfortable 68-72 degrees
- Good airflow all around the home
- Removing furniture that crowds rooms and makes them feel smaller
- Repairing squeaky doors or floors that distract buyers
Numbers Don’t Lie
Still not convinced about atmosphere? Let’s take a look at some stats.
Recent studies found that staged homes, homes with a created welcoming atmosphere, sell up to 3 times faster than unstaged homes.
The best part? 41% of buyers are more willing to visit a home in person after viewing well-staged photos online.
This all adds up to:
- More showings on your home
- Better offer amounts
- Quicker closing times
- Less stress
This investment you make in creating a welcoming atmosphere in your home pays for itself many times over.
Time for Action
Creating the right home atmosphere isn’t just a box on a checklist to get through. It’s about understanding the psychology of buyer decisions when it comes to a home and replicating those conditions in your home.
The good news is, most of these atmosphere tweaks can be done in a weekend. The effect it has on your sale will last long after buyers have toured your home.
Start with the basics – lighting, scent, and decluttering. Then layer in the tips and techniques that have the most emotional impact. Your bank account will be smiling when you get that fast sale at the asking price you want.
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