The most important of the 3 "first impressions"

Everyone knows of the importance in the 'first impression' and how small of a window they can be. This principle ranges from personal meetings to showroom floors. The platform of the house listing as a showroom floor is my focus. When you put your house on the market be focused on all 3 of these first impressions. 1st impression - picture and content on line. What is the main picture? The very first picture should be of the front otherwise buyers/viewers will wonder ''what is wrong? why is the front of the property not shown?". I listed and I have seen other listings when the main feature of the property is the back yard (extensive landscaped pool, view of downtown). It is a great idea to put some time and capital in staging the entry of the property; landscaping, painted front door, clean windows, removal of the solar screens and power washing are some examples. 2nd 'first impression' - the drive by. The potential buyer is might have been referred by one of your neighbors OR seen internet marketing OR just driving by randomly. Our 2nd impression takes us back at what the buyers will see from the street while in their car - the front of the house. They are not going inside at this point, just driving by very s-l-o-w-l-y. This is also where they will cruise the neighborhood and your pricing will be important. 3rd 'first impression' - the buyer has viewed pictures of the property (flyer, email, internet tour), driven by and is now about to walk inside. You have worked on the exterior front, your Realtor has supplied marketing which captures images of the property and verbalizes its attributes, now the last 'first impression' is upon us.... How is the lighting? Change out all lightbulbs for the brightest OR the best lighting for the house. Open up all window coverings because natural light shows the square footage. What will their sense of smell register? Hopefully not any pet odors nor smoke odors. It is best to avoid general plug in scents and best to just have your "showroom floor" smelling like a clean home (a great referral is Pine-Sol and Bleach). Have you "staged"? Have a garage sale and make some $ to fund additional staging. Your Realtor will have some great advice. Your favorite store "stages" (from Nordstrom to Academy) and so do the most successful Hotels so you should as well. Respecting the 3 first impressions will increase your chances of selling for more and at a faster pace to reduce carrying costs. This is especially true if the buyer has to see the entire property or every room to really "get your homes value". Get the buyer excited at each of the 3 first impressions and you will soon be out of your home.