Silicon Valley home buyers tend to give the each property they see a nickname so that they can remember which home they’re talking about. Often the nickname references a quirk of the home, though sometimes an outstanding feature, which makes the most memorable or unique impression and ends up becoming a label for the home. What nickname will your house get when it’s on the market? Will it be remembered for something great, something odd, or something bad? What’s the one phrase that will come to be your property’s de facto tagline?
What kind of nicknames do buyers assign homes they’ve seen?
Here’s a sampling of how Silicon Valley home buyers may speak of listings they’ve seen – one person referencing the house to another might preface it by saying something like…
“It was that house with the amazing kitchen – the ceilings were vaulted, there was a HUGE island…”
“The Eichler” (if they only saw one Eichler, or whatever architectural style)
“You remember, it was the one that had the view of …”
“The orange townhouse! Remember, the living room was painted tangerine! Who could forget that one?”
“The creepy condo with people there… The sellers never left, and worse, in one room, someone was even in bed. They knew we were coming, why did they do that to us?”
“The one with the alarm. Remember how our Realtor had to run all over to find the keypad to disarm it, but had trouble even finding it? I never want to see another place with the alarm on after that!”
“Yes, you remember the house – it had rocks instead of lawn and there were 2′ high garden gnomes. Remember the gnome house?”
“The one with the incredible back yard. You know, the one with the summer kitchen, a pizza oven and trellis?”
“I’m talking about the one that smelled of pets. They had a rabbit in one of the bedrooms. It was really bad.”
“Everything was white house – all the rooms were painted white”
Sellers: how will buyers quickly remember your home as distinct from any other?
A question for Silicon Valley home sellers: What is the most unique thing about your home? What will be different from every other home for sale at the same time as yours? What nickname will your house get?
It will help the marketing and sale of your home if that one most salient and most memorable to strike Silicon Valley home buyers is something really positive. Got gnomes, trophy animals on the wall, or boudoir photography? Bad idea to have these around for home selling – that’s what buyers will remember, not the house or condo itself!
Wouldn’t you love to hear this – “it’s the one with the super cute back yard” or “you remember, the one with the open floor plan” or “it’s the perfect house, we could really see ourselves living there!” Or “it’s the first house we could both agree on!” Or better still “the house we fell in love with“. The more people who say that, the better your sale price will be!
If you are planning to sell in the new year, now’s the time to think of the positive focal points you want Silicon Valley home buyers to remember. Sometimes removing big negatives, like out of date wallpaper or carpet can do the trick so that buyers can recall the positives better. Small things, such as outdoor art on the back fence, can brighten a space and add charm – and they don’t have to cost a lot of money.
Hire a good Silicon Valley Realtor to help you make your home memorable in a good way. Please call or email me today to discuss selling your home for the best price and terms that the market will bear.
Find more seller or home selling tips on the Valley of Heart’s Delight blog
