Inner & Outer Reflection

Sometimes the best thing about a best friend is that they will call you out on your BS. I stepped into the house and realized there was a problem. He had listed his house beginning of June and now it was September he had less than five viewings and dropped the price. It wasn’t generating any interest and the listing agent was deflated. I could sense there were underlying things that were more personal and nothing to do with the tangible before me.

First impression is important. When I first walked in and looked around my impression was this has been neglected as though living was a chore. Trust your intuition. My intuition said that this isn’t home it’s just a house, a shell; I didn’t feel a sense of warmth or welcoming. I wasn’t convinced that I wanted to invest my time or money here.

My mission was to help make things look inviting, generate some interest and allow one to feel comfortable. The 1956 house was solidly constructed but over time the care and attention to maintain it fell on the wayside. What could be done to make little improvements to make a big impact? It would mean a small investment, some time, some creativity, some patience, some TLC and definitely some work.

The critical part of this endeavor was the homeowner needed to be open to change. The house needed to be sold as he was moving forward and on to a new life. It was memories being clutched and dreams unfulfilled, it was plans unfinished and motivation drained. Here I needed to exercise empathy, refuel possibility and rekindle worth in both the man and the house.

Statistically its been stated, you have only 90 seconds to make a good first impression or people move on. It doesn't matter if your presenting yourself, your product your home? Take a little pride in the miracle of you and what you do. An endearing smile will reciprocate a smile back. A please and thank you, said in sincerity raises everyone's mood. Internal and external presentation does truly matter.

I respect some people have hit a low in life and I absolutely I empathize with you. I’ve been there the pain sucks. You feel like don't want to be a burden, you feel embarrassed or unworthy you can spiral downward quickly. YET, human nature will empower those who are in need. I learned 85% of that which you don’t get is because we didn’t ask, but you must find the courage to ask, it is OK to be honest, humble and vulnerable when you could use a hand.

Sometimes we lose sight of our own self worth and sometimes it simply takes another to show us our potential. Once you have a little confidence rekindled in your inner core, duplicate it. Hunt for it, and a snowball effect will start to arise.

Regards to my friend, after the renos and staging, the house sold 3 weeks later at 20k profit and a lot of people were happy.