What’s Love Got to Do with It? The Love of Real Estate
Jan 28, 2021 06:00AM ● By Pamela Johnson
People often say, “Home is where the heart is.” We are more aware of that now than ever before. Our homes have truly become the center of our lives. Our workplaces. Our school rooms. Our sanctuaries. During changing times, many of us look to move, not just for practical situations or economic reasons but emotional ones as well. February has me thinking about how much love touches us as we embark upon a home buying or selling journey.
I love our listings too. Every single home has something to love about it. Thinking about the sweet spot makes it easy to prepare a home for market. Who is going to buy this home? How are they going to use it? Why will they love it? Giving thought to these three questions will help shape the marketing by leaning into that direction, putting emphasis on wherever that leads. For example, if the home has an amazing kitchen, we will think about gearing our marketing toward someone that loves to cook and entertain. The focus will be not on just the nuts and bolts of the home, but also on accentuating the space, drawing a buyer’s attention to the amenities that we know this type of buyer will fall in love with.
Home buying in and of itself is an emotional experience. Emotions and love go hand in hand, right? New buyers tend to think that when they see the right home, “they will just know it.” While that is not always the case, the idea is not far from the truth as their emotions meet with their physical needs. More often than not, they will make trade-offs in the process, but it is hard to imagine a person’s making a lifetime change without finding something in the home that speaks to their heart. Over the years I have seen couples purchase a home because it was a home that they had fallen in love with as they simply drove by it starry eyed on their first date. When it came on the market 20 years later, they just had to have it.
How many buyers have purchased a home because it evoked memories of their past? Memories sparked by sitting on a front porch that takes them back to times they shared with their grandparents. Buyers thinking about their family and how they will grow in their new home or how happy their pets will be in the fenced backyard, or how they will love spending time tinkering in that heated garage or how perfect it is for hosting holidays! They love the curb appeal, or the neighborhood, or the closeness of this home to the highway. Yes, love all the way around.
For the most part sellers love their homes too, and it’s usually reflected in the care of the home, the décor, and the home’s “personality.” You do not have to have a seller tell you what they love about their home. One can easily see a seller’s love to garden if the grounds are immaculate, or their love of fun if their home is filled with toys, or their love of family when you see photos on the walls. You can hear it in their voice, and you might even feel their reluctance in letting the home go. Many long for it to pass into what they feel are good hands. They want to know it will be taken care of.
What’s Love Got to Do with It? Pretty much everything! (Now, I bet you’ll have that song by Tina Turner running around in your head for the rest of the day.)
Submitted by Carol Ann Palmieri, Home-Sale Artist (right) of Al and Cal Realty Group, RE/MAX Executive Realty. Palmieri may be reached at 508-494-9061 or [email protected].
