Attracting home buyers with psychology: does it really work?

The concept of professional home staging is not new. In fact, it became a popular marketing tool among West Coast real estate communities over 30 years ago. In light of the recent housing market downturn, homeowners are struggling to find creative ways to sell their home. Many real estate agents and homeowners are requesting the services of “house planners” to professionally prepare the house for sale. What exactly is home staging? While there are many different “slogans” from various sources within the industry, it can be summed up as “using what the owner already has to prepare and ‘position’ the home to appeal to the masses. A marketing tool used to facilitate a quick and profitable sale.”

With the dozens of new shows on HGTV, the home buying and selling population is taking notice of this thing called “staging.” So the question remains: Does it work? What does psychology have to do with this? The answer is yes, it works, and psychology is a key element in preparing the home for the market. Let’s first look at the definition of “psychology.” The Webster’s dictionary definition is: “the science of the mind or of mental states and processes.” How does this apply to buying or selling a home?

It’s quite simple actually! A professional home stager will typically have the home seller store personal photos and memorabilia, remove clutter such as trinkets, countertop appliances, and other items that reflect YOUR lifestyle and the way YOUR family lives in the home. The stage will start with a clean slate, so to speak. Through the placement of updated furniture, lighting, fixtures and artwork, and a psychological allure called “emotional connection points,” a mental process is brought into play. By creating “vignettes” or short scenes of what life is like could look like a person maybe use a space, a buyer, for example, “mentally move” into the house. It is psychological persuasion. Here is a mental exercise to prove this point. Relax and close your eyes, imagine in your mind a long and stressful day at work. You come home, filling the whirlpool tub in the master bathroom with hot water and clouds of scented bubbles.

Head upstairs for a relaxing bath, sipping a glass of wine while watching the dancing reflections of the candlelit room… Well, you can get out of that now! The point is that by using psychology…the “science of the mind,” a home stager can lure a potential buyer and help them imagine living there. By “staging” the master bathroom with fluffy towels, beautiful candles around the tub, and a serving tray with a glass of wine, the buyer “emotionally connected” to this space. This is just one example, but there are many emotional connection that can be strategically implemented throughout the house.

While there are still some “non-believers” in home staging, it has been shown to be has very valuable marketing tool. It’s not just about painting the walls and storing extra “stuff.” To be successful, there is that critical element of the human psyche that needs to be addressed.