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To increase your chances of a quick sale, you will need to broadly market your house and appeal to various potential buyers. How you do this depends on the “identity” of your home, which is defined by its location, style, and features.

Location will attract various types of potential buyers; for example, an elementary school in the neighborhood will attract a young family, but a shopping district in a downtown location will typically attract young professionals.

The style of the home is also a major factor. A new, modern home with the latest in technologies will likely attract highly educated, young professionals. In contrast, a 20th-century Victorian home will attract the typical Generation X folk, because they are old enough to have their education debt paid off; have more confidence in their ability to tackle home improvements; have more time because their children are older; and have an annual income that is in its prime. The vast difference is evident in that Baby Boomers come from a generation of hard work, appreciation of quality, and an acceptance that with a house purchase comes work. Those of a younger generation typically favor things that satisfy their need for instant gratification; they aren’t necessarily exposed to as much physical hard work as the older generation may have been; and they expect a move-in ready home that doesn’t require any immediate work.

The style of decor can also be an issue, as having your favorite color on the walls will not appeal to those who dislike the color, or those who do not have the time, energy, or money to have it painted.

Various features will also attract particular buyers. For example, a landscaped backyard that has a pool and a patio designed as an outdoor room will attract either a couple who love to entertain or a family with teens or older children. In contrast, families with young children will often fear a pool because of its potential danger, and older couples looking to simplify their lifestyle will often not be interested. Many preferences are related to the buyer’s age and income, such as young buyers purchasing their first home versus older buyers looking to trade down (perhaps in anticipation of retirement), while some features tend to be embraced by all home buyers. Other preferences will depend on how long the buyer expects to remain in the home. The desirability of certain features is also reflected in the buyer’s choice between a new or a previously owned home.

Understanding who will be interested in your home helps you stage it so that it appeals to the majority of potential buyers. For example, imagine that you are selling a saltbox (a colonial, wood-framed house) in a suburban neighborhood that includes local amenities and an elementary school. The house is large enough to accommodate future needs, its layout suits a family, and it’s located in a safe neighborhood that has amenities nearby and is close enough to school that the kids can walk. In this case, it is likely that your house will attract a family with young children; therefore, it would be in your best interest to market the property to appeal to this target market. This can be achieved by understanding how certain demographics typically perceive life and what their preferences are in terms of lifestyle.

This means that home owners looking to sell should invest in upgrading specific areas of the home, arranging furnishings, and displaying items that will represent the potential buyer’s ideal lifestyle, regardless of how they themselves lived in the house and their personal taste in decor.

You could consider upgrading key features of the kitchen such as the flooring, cabinet hardware, countertop, sink, and faucet. Or you can change the third bedroom from its current office arrangement back to a bedroom, but stage it as a young child’s room. Even if your children are grown and there are only two of you left in the house, staging it to attract your target market will increase your chances of receiving an offer.

Remember, most buyers use their hearts as well as their minds when shopping for a new house, so appeal to their emotions. You can find additional specific recommendations in the following chapters.

While it is often said (perhaps preached is a better word) that staged homes must be neutral in order to appeal to the masses, we find that bringing in the bling with color in the form of accessories is the simple step that catches the eye and the offer. We can go one step further and work the color angle as it is matched to the target market. For example, the retiree crowd may be more attracted to warm yet subdued colors, while the young family will be more open to what we think of as Crayon® colors with bright red, yellow, and blue as the basics.

Yvonne Root, rooms b.y. root, AZ