When people pull up to a local open house, they focus on many different features of the house. However, there are some aspects of the structure that a seller should focus on with extra detail before letting their property hit the market. Impressing a home buyer in the margins can skyrocket the sale value and drastically change the outcome of a real estate transaction. Below I’ve listed the features of a house that people tend to focus on when deciding whether or not a house is for them.

1. The yard.

The first part of the lot that home buyers see is the yard. While for many people a yard provides little to no practical value, aesthetic value can add surprising amounts of money to a sale price. If you are selling your home, make sure that the yard is nice. If the landscape needs hedging or you think a professional mow would serve you well, do not hesitate. A first impression where a person loves the yard can add as much as $50,000 to a sale price. It sounds like a lot, but when the scale of a house price is concerned, it’s frosting on the cake.

The reason: Everyone desires a yard. They provide people with an escape while simultaneously improving the exterior of the house. It’s not good to judge a book by its cover, but in real estate, people do.

2. Mirrors.

Whether or not you are leaving certain furniture, make sure that you have nice mirrors in your house when a home buyer is doing a walk through. For one, they make everything look nicer. Secondly, they make rooms look bigger and more elegant. People tend to like houses that appear bigger than the size they are listed at. It’s worth the time to rearrange the mirrors that you have, or even buy a couple new ones, before your house gets listed. A little change in how big the living room looks can make or break a deal.

The reason: Mirrors can make a room look bigger and more elegant.

3. Rugs.

Rugs are a literal stomping ground for people in their house. However, people who are looking at homes tend to focus on them more than you would assume. A rug can really tie a room together, and when well placed, can make a room feel much more comfortable. Take a hard look at both the rugs you have, and where they are placed. Get an outside opinion and see if you can utilize them to a make a room look nicer or more comfortable.

The reason: Rugs not only warm up the surface of the floor, they tie room themes and furniture placement together.

4. Flowers.

People walking through a house will notice flowers. While they don’t matter to the structure of the house, they are very important with regards to home buyer first impression. Stock up your home, particularly the kitchen and entryway, with floral madness. They will help ease your visitor into feeling like they are truly at home and not in a hotel. This extends both inside and outside, as flower pots on the window will outside the kitchen or on the back porch have a similar benefit.

The reason: Flowers naturally make people feel relaxed, particularly when they are trying to picture themselves living somewhere.

5. Lighting.

While it is common to look at lighting fixtures when touring a house, the actual functioning of them during the search is an important feature to consider showcasing. If you have art lighting that you use to highlight really nice art in your house, utilize it when showing your house. Use the lights in your house that make the house looks the most hospitable. A couple walking into a house that has no lights on during a cloudy afternoon will be less than impressed. If you have nice lighting, think hard about how you want to deploy the feature with the hope of convincing someone to buy your house.

The reason: Lighting can make a room feel like an office lunch room or a palace library. The way that lighting is used can completely change the way a house is presented.

Home buyers will focus on the parts of a house that they most value as individuals. While this is true, there are features that are nearly universal in the sense that they garner attention from potential home buyers. As a result, it’s important to flaunt the features of your house that you think are nice, with the hope of making the prospective buyers feel more comfortable with your property. These features include objects that come with the house, and also those that are just in the house currently and make the place look nice. Either way, use your resources to your advantage. It won’t hurt your chances on the closing date.

Guest Post By:

Tim Richmond writes about the mortgage industry, real estate, green building, personal finance and home ownership. He currently writes for the Native American mortgage specialists 1st Tribal Lending.