“Seeing is believing.” “A picture is worth a thousand words.” “I’ll know it when I see it.” These adages are not just inspirational clichés. It’s true that a buyer’s upfront and personal experience as they pull up the driveway and walk through your door speaks volumes. But are they the ultimate deciding factors in selling your home? Not by a long shot. Capturing your buyer’s interest, in most cases, requires a little salesmanship. That’s where a “Home Improvements list” becomes a selling tool.
Different from a benefits list (which is also important), an improvements list details all the improvements you’ve made to your home … like the energy-efficient air conditioners you installed (and how much lower your electricity bill has been since you got them); the new kitchen countertops you added, with a new popular material that’s durable and easy to clean; the major remodeling you’ve done to the bathrooms; and the skillful contractors and their beautiful finishing touches.
Buyers Love Details
Buyers appreciate details and they love knowing they’re getting something that’s been updated, what the materials are made of, what it cost, and who did the work. They also like knowing that you’ve just installed a new roof or new siding, which means they don’t have to worry about replacing a major item in the near future that’s going to cost them major bucks. Prove how you’ve made your home significantly and tangibly more valuable. Prepare an improvements list and be eager to share the details with them.
Accurately describe improvements and be detailed – to a point. Do your best to be accurate when describing improvements, but always use the word “approximately” when referring to how old something is. For example, “the roof is approximately five years old,” or “the energy-efficient heating and a/c unit saves approximately 20 percent on electric bills.” We live in litigious times where anyone threatens to sue over anything.
Create and Re-Purpose Your Lists
I’ve prepared both a Sample Improvements List and a Sample Benefits List to help trigger items for your list for prospective buyers. Hand them to your buyers as they enter your home or sometime during the showing. They’re a good conversation starter about particular benefits or improvements that grab your buyer’s interest.
Include them in your home flyer or brochure that you prepare yourself or that Listing Door can help you create, or type up your own lists. Here is an example.
