Big Three

What it is

The Big Three is the first three things that people are going to see when they walk up to and into the house.

Number one is curb appeal. That’s the buyer’s first impression. It basically creates the filter in which they see the rest of the house. Number two is what they actually see when they open that front door — the entryway. And number three, there’s always a wow room. Usually it’s the kitchen. Maybe it’s a bathroom if the bathroom is right there at the front door.

The thing is: I hope it’s a kitchen, because the kitchen’s easy to put a little bit of extra into. If I can stick my head in that front door and I see a bathroom, well, that bathroom is going to get the subway tile around the tub. Whereas if that bathroom were in the back third of the house, it’s going to get a tub insert. Because the people have made a decision on whether they’re buying or not within the first few things that they see. There’s no use in over-renovating a bathroom that’s in the back of the house.

Why it matters

I believe that within the first few seconds of sticking your head in the front door, you’ve made the decision on whether you’re going to buy that house or not. And then the rest of the walkthrough is just making sure they don’t get unsold. You’re never going to walk into a front door, not like the house, and then walk through the rest and fall in love. The first impression has to be right.

Think about it this way. Take a guy in a tuxedo at the self-checkout. You’d look at him and say, that’s the type of guy who doesn’t steal from the self-checkout. That might be the type of guy you let go on a date with your daughter. But take that same guy — former lead drummer for Slipknot, show makeup, the whole thing — you see him at the Walmart self-checkout and you’re thinking, oh gosh, I don’t want to get caught in a dark alley with that dude. Same person. Two completely different first impressions. That’s houses.

The Big Three is where, instead of doing the baseline, I’m going to actually over-renovate. Over-invest. Over-focus. I don’t want you to go crazy here. You just have to be slightly above the baseline. But it really has to lay a good first impression.

How it shows up

On curb appeal: make sure you put a little bit of extra money. Is it basic white on the front door, or are you going to do something a little more zesty? Think about how buyers actually approach your property. Are they parking in front and walking to the front door? Then everything they see on that walk matters. Mailbox, house numbers, entry door, garage door, entry windows, shutters, porch, landscaping — spend extra here.

Once they pop their head in the front door, you’re looking for that kitchen. If the baseline for that neighborhood is butcher block, I might go granite. Maybe a nicer backsplash, a little accent tile. Then the third big element — whatever it is — gets a little push past the baseline.

Everything else in the house stays at baseline. If that bathroom is in the back of the house, it gets the insert, not the tile surround. You’ve already sold them before they got there.

Related

baseline, scope of work, curb appeal, over renovating, cutesy the front, landscaping