“Always Be Closing.” Everyone has heard this axiom at one point or another. But has the average person ever thought about what it really means? The ultimate goal – the closing – is to get the customer to sign on the dotted line. Sounds fundamental enough, right? But, where does the closing start? It starts the moment you decide to sell your house.

Human beings, while creatures of habit, are a complex tapestry of not only thoughts, but emotions. Logic may prevail in many critical situations, but when it comes to the culmination of our dreams it is our emotions which pull the strings. What does a customer want when they buy a house? The logical answer is that they want a new home they can afford, in a safe neighborhood, with a good school system, etc., etc… But their emotions are yearning for a fresh canvass upon which they may paint their future. This is rooted in the subconscious of all people. No matter what logic we bring to the table we are still dreamers, and we want things our way. So how do we give that to a customer?

“Less is more.” Perhaps this is another phrase you’ve heard. It is the key in understanding how to give a customer a blank canvass. Customers don’t want to see our history played out across the rooms in our house (i.e. they don’t want to see pictures of Uncle So-and-So with his Championship Bass resting on the mantle next to our daughter’s softball trophies). If we leave such memorials behind thinking that it will “Sell the idea of a home” we are wrong. Remember, people want to project their own dreams onto bare walls. So, what is the first thing we must do? We must let go. We must get rid of all signs of our history in the house. Shed the urge to memorialize ourselves and attempt to see the house for what it is: a container for someone else’s future.

Does this mean you should leave each room completely barren? Not in the least. The trick is to create the illusion of a home uninflected by our own lives. Don’t ask yourself “What does your living room look like?” ask yourself “What does a living room look like?” Ask yourself the same question for bathrooms, bedrooms, studies, etc. You are not creating a home; you are creating the illusion of a home using room-by-room archetypes. What are the elements that make up a bedroom? A porch? A living room? What orientation of chairs and couches create the most inviting and aesthetically pleasing make-up? Remember: “Always Be Closing.” You want people to walk into this house and “feel at home” the instant they set foot on the carpet.

Part of this illusion is the idea of “perfection.” Walls should be evenly painted. Any wood surfaces should be polished to their original luster. Windows should be crystal clear. The air should smell clean. The temperature should be neutral. The front and back yards should be open, clean, and devoid of any debris. Anything that isn’t part of the structure of the house should be vibrant and new. Some experts* like to display spa packages in bathrooms, and a fanning of cookbooks or magazines where they might normally be. These visual concepts sell ideas: “This is where you can relax;” “This is where you cook for your family,” “This is where you have time to yourself.” All these images are archetypal in nature and thusly resonate with a buyer’s subconscious.

So, what is closing at this stage of the game? It is appeasing human nature with the use of smoke and mirrors. Give people what they want. Do customers want a house? Only on the surface. Consider what a new house means: the chance to start a new life and execute dreams to their fullest potential. That’s what people want, and that’s what we have to sell. The house is incidental.

*Professional “Home Stagers” can be hired for an array of fees. These experts have been trained in visual aesthetics specific to home layouts.

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