Sifting Through the Psychology of Home Sales

Researchers at Old Dominion University used an eye-tracking program as part of a study on how people perceive a home on the market and how buyers are motivated by what they see. The program enabled the researchers to record the eye movements of people using photos of actual homes for sale. The study revealed that perceptions matter, and the difference in a successful home sale can depend on whether the seller was able to control those perceptions. Real estate agents agreed with the findings of the research, saying they have known anecdotally all along that people have a bias against rooms that are a certain color, particularly pink. “We have for years advised that you should ‘vanilla’ the home, that you de-clutter it and that all of the carpet be some sort of beige, and that the walls be white, or close to white,” says Century 21’s Bill Kessler. “Every other color makes the rooms look smaller and potentially sends a message about the room.” An offending color in an otherwise attractive house could make a potential buyer walk or click away to another house for sale. | Read More