“A color can change their thinking from ‘Oh my God, what a huge mortgage’ to ‘This house is so comfortable, I feel like I already live here,’ ” he said. “That’s why a good seller tries to target all five senses to envelop the customer with the message.”
– Rohit Deshpande, a professor of marketing at Harvard Business School, talking about the impact that model homes can have on potential buyers.
An article in today’s Tribune looks into the art of staging model homes and how they can affect buyers’ perceptions of the home. As the article notes, home buying is both a calculated financial investment and an emotional decision, and buyers instinctively respond – both positively and negatively – to certain features of furnished models.
We see our fair share of furnished models, and from my personal experiences I’ve generally found that some of the best models are the more modestly-appointed ones that draw the eye to the space, rather than to bright-colored furniture and paint. A model with too many design flourishes makes it difficult for me to imagine rearranging the space for my own needs (like this one, for example).
