The house sat atop a hill with a beautiful view out of a large picture window. As they entered the great room, the sun was setting below the distant tree line. That view sold the buyer. The remaining parts of the home could be improved. The home buyer based his decision to buy on the window view from the hillside. The 20% of the home’s features motivated him to offer full price on the spot. Such is the power of the 80/20 rule. Ideally, you want to present prospective buyers with a tasteful, but relatively "blank canvas", with neutral colors and very few personal items. You want to make sure the buyers can enter into your home and envision it as their "home sweet home", not yours. In some cases, the 80/20 rule may help people make a sale without even conducting a showing. The house in the following example had languished on the market for months. Unlike the previous home, this one was not unattractive. On the contrary, it was a brand-new, custom-built home. It sat on the market for over seven months, without a single offer. The builder hired a real estate agent who knew the importance of finding that one special feature. He drove out to give the house a thorough investigation. He discovered what the property had that the competition did not: a beautiful five-acre yard. Other houses being sold in the area were on one- to two-acre lots. Not only was the yard bigger, it was also more private than other properties. The real estate agent marketed the property, highlighting the five acres alongside the description of the house. Because the house was no longer the main selling point, interest in the property increased.
A buyer was so interested that he submitted an offer from 1,000
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