Does a house ever really ’sell itself’?

During one of the last weeks of this season’s The Apprentice, Donald Trump told those vying for the job and the viewers at home, too, that ‘nothing sells itself’.

Last week, I was at a model home in a development and a new Realtor was telling a seasoned Realtor that their homes sold themselves.  Later, the more seasoned Realtor shook her head and told me, “Nothing sells itself!”

You know I don’t believe I need to actively ‘sell’ a house. I’m there to provide the extra info, and I’d certainly never say, “Let’s get you into this baby for little or no money down…”!

But, if you look at the emotional side…the decision to buy based upon the emotional connection to the product, there is some ‘selling’ that takes place, albeit rather covertly.

• “Can you imagine holiday dinners in this dining room?”
• “I love having an extra room to throw the kids and their toys and their DVD’s…(not literally throw the children, of course…)”
• “Plenty of room on this wall for shelves to put the trophies on.”

You need to create a new life for the buyer; they need help imagining how it would be living in that home. That’s why some agents will play the ‘entertain’ card…”This kitchen is great for entertaining.”  Everyone wants to be the most popular homeowner on the block.  Everyone wants to feel as if they have tons of friends who will come over for endless bar-b-ques or cocktails and hor d’oerves or the neighborhood’s best Superbowl party.

That’s also why staging is so important.  A well-staged home lures buyers into thinking they could live like they imagine the people who live in fabulous houses live.

So, does a house ever really sell itelf?  Not really.  The staged home and the Realtor work together to create an atmosphere condusive to buying, which is what really sells a place.