I’m a Bainbridge Island Real Estate Broker. I list and sell real estate as my profession, although there are many facets to what I do, I sometimes find myself contemplating issues that are not so easily put into words, but I’ll give this topic a try.
When I view a home for a listing or when I bring clients to view a home for potential consideration for purchase, there’s one thing that always happens. I open the door to go inside. The entrance to a home is a little like dating; first impressions mean a lot, we don’t like to think we judge a book by its cover, but let’s face it, we do begin the process of developing our point of view based on what we see.
How does seeing your own front door make you feel? That can all change very quickly depending on the circumstances surrounding our point of view. So why would you leave something which is so easily turned into a pleasant experience “up for grabs?” Making the entrance to your home appealing is a very simple task if you consider the upside of what you’ll gain by doing so.
Be objective and take a few photos of the entrance to your home, review the photos later while having a cup of coffee, and give yourself time to stand back and look at it as a third party might. Is your entrance clean, tidy, and welcoming, or full of miscellaneous items that have lost their way into the house? Are dead plants in the planters, a broken doorbell, a lock that needs replacing, or a doorknob that is reminiscent of the 80s?
While I was wandering around Spain this past month, I was taken aback by some of the marvelous doors, door knockers, key holes, scrumptious paints, wood finishes, lighting fixtures, which graced the doorways of flats, homes, cottages in the country, and even the commercial buildings. These lovely, thoughtful entrances called for me to go inside, cross the threshold, and see what else was behind the entrance; in other words, they piqued my interest in a very good way.
An inviting entrance can be worth its weight in gold. Next time you walk up to your front door, how does it make you feel?
