My experience in working with many home buyers is that they often make a decision within the first 30 seconds of walking in to a home that they are considering purchasing.  Kristine Ginsberg is a home stager out of New Jersey and she’s more generous claiming that you have about 90 seconds to capture their attention.

Buyers start their home searches online.  I don’t think that’s a big surprise.  Nice photography is key to attracting buyers enough to want to actually see your house.  Prepare the exterior as best you can so the curb appeal is high.  There have been many times I’ve received phone calls from clients that have said they did a “drive by” and decided not to see the house because of  the poor curb appeal.  If you  can’t get them past the outside of your house, they are never going to buy it.

The biggest surprise to many is how fast people make decisions about a house.  It happens almost instantly.  Make the entry way to the home as pleasant and appealing as you can.  If they still like the home when they walk in, there’s a chance they’ll be interested.  More often than not, the entry is not attractive and the buyers are turned off immediately.  That emotional connection makes it very hard to overcome as they continue through the house.

I realize not everyone has a lot of money to prepare and stage their home before going on the market.  However, there are some simple and somewhat inexpensive things you can to do greatly improve the feel and appeal to potential buyers.  Consult with your agent about things you can do especially if you are on a budget.