It turns out that the science is there to support the fact that our senses will contribute to the decision we make when it comes to buying our next home.
Nosing around
There’s nothing like a bad smell to make us dislike something and want to leave. Smell creates an emotional reaction in our brains, which triggers our memories and sense of nostalgia on a highly personal level.
If a prospective buyer picks up on a nasty smell, then that’s likely to hang around in their brain for much longer than the actual smell.
Smoke, damp, decaying food, pets and blocked drains will all turn prospective buyers away. Remember, you may be ‘nose blind’ after living with such aromas for a while, but the first scent of a whiff and the viewing is over.
Pleasant, inviting smells, on the other hand, stimulate feel-good emotions and happy memories and can act as a motivator when it comes to viewing a property. So for buyers walking into a fresh smelling hallway, this initial positive reaction can only be a good thing. We’ve all heard the property experts talk about the enticing aromas of freshly brewed coffee and baked bread; who knows it may influence how a prospective buyer reacts to that property.
Plenty of research and science has examined how our senses contribute and affect our choices when it comes to buying and doing things; whether it’s the smell of coffee, the touch of luxury leather, the sound of the sea or the sight of a beautiful piece of art.
Easy on the eye
Our eyes have a habit of fixing on the way a space has been arranged and how a home is presented inside. It helps to know which direction your home faces. Then you can work with the natural light and use artificial light cleverly, along with an appropriate colour palette on walls and choosing accessories, to maximise the airy, light feel buyers look for.
Behavioural scientists believe that, ‘people tend to make their minds up about a product or a situation within 90 seconds and that 90% of that decision is concerned with the choice and use of colour’
Everyone craves a clear, spacious decluttered interior space; one that gives homebuyers ‘headspace’ to imagine how they might use the space if they lived there. Buyers want to feel positive energy and a good flow that allows them to circulate from room to room with ease. So when planning to sell your home, try to position furniture carefully, make rooms look inviting and adopt the mantra, ‘less is more’, that doesn’t mean remove all your home’s character and personality, but allow the property to make an impression for the right reasons.
Feel the heat and feel good
Studies indicate that people respond better to buying things when they feel warmer.
A paper published in the Harvard Business Review identified that 46% of internet shoppers were more likely to click ‘buy’ when they were sitting in a room heated to 25 C degrees compared to 20 C degrees.
It seems that we become more generous when we are warm, so turning up the heating for a viewing will create a more emotional feel-good vibe for buyers. Temperature along with colourways, lighting and texture can all increase a room’s sense of warmth.
Power of peace and quiet
Everyone wants to feel at peace in their home. So loud traffic noise, raised voices and noisy neighbours are not want prospective buyers want to hear when they come to view a property.
Unwelcome interruptions and loud sounds tend to affect our stream of consciousness, disrupt our well-being and mess with our thought processing. Best to try to arrange viewings when your home is at its most quiet and there is a sense of calm – the children are at school, it’s not rush hour and the dog’s gone for a walk.
Scent of a sale
When preparing your home for sale try to think about the senses and the kind of emotional responses and preferences that generate a positive sense of well-being. The science says that enticing as many of the senses as possible – from visual impact, inviting smells, warm surroundings, and peaceful ambience, really can improve your chances of selling your home.
