By focusing on the architecture and the emotional aspect of buying a home, you can help buyers find the perfect place. One architect-turned-salesperson used his expertise to generate over $5 million in sales in his first year full-time.

by Ricardo Herrán

A home is more than a ranch or a condo or an art deco jewel. A home starts with the basic need to find shelter. That’s quickly overshadowed by an owner’s emotional need to find “their space.” I have a Master of Architecture degree, and if I can use that knowledge to identify a homebuyer’s emotional needs, I reduce the time it takes me to show and sell a home.

I love buildings. And I love the way people interact with them. In architecture, you determine what a buyer wants and then design a building that fits his or her needs. In my real estate career, I can’t always create exactly what clients want. I must go out and find the property closest to his or her heart and then “marry” the building to the buyer.

Here’s what I’ve learned as I’ve applied my architectural education to my real estate career:

1. Listen to and Observe Your Clients

I watch how people move through a house and discover what’s important to them. I listen to their comments and watch their body language. If I describe things to them first, I’m pointing out elements that only I may consider important and in the process miss an opportunity to find out what type of property appeals to them emotionally. For me, this isn’t just a tool for good customer service — the faster I can define the type of space they want, the quicker I can show homes that lead to a sale.

For example, I showed homes to a multigenerational family of seven who wanted a large four-bedroom home with a pool. The family, which included two couples, claimed that no other details mattered to them. But when I showed them homes with side-by-side bedrooms, they cringed. In their logical minds, price, size and amenities drove their purchase. But in their emotional minds, side-by-side bedrooms made them uncomfortable, even if they didn’t realize it. When I started exclusively showing homes with a split plan, it led to a quick sale.

2. Remember: A Home’s Design Affects Buyers

Many Realtors recommend baking cookies during an open house. That smell conjures up memories of comfort and security. While no single architectural style has universal appeal like a chocolate chip cookie, a specific building design will appeal to certain buyers in much the same way.

This spring, I had a client walk up to a house with a large porch accented by a swinging bench, all shaded by a massive oak tree. The client immediately fell in love with the house. Most of us would say it had good curb appeal, which is true; but the overall design of that home’s façade touched something within my buyer, an image that conjured up an emotional feeling of “home.”

A buyer can’t always describe the design function he or she wants, but it’s usually associated with a positive memory. As a young boy, for example, I have fond memories of my home, a fairly typical 1970s house with bright orange and green autumn-themed wallpaper in my mother’s kitchen. That was my world, my space. I may not want a similar home now, but if I see a home with a kitchen that stirs up those memories, it might nudge me toward making a home purchase decision.

Psychologically speaking, light is another architectural element that affects buyers. Research suggests that light actually makes people happy and a lack of light can even lead to depression. On an emotional level, clients immediately sense something is wrong when a house lacks adequate light. When showing homes, I routinely tell clients how to increase the light in a room that’s too dark. I might suggest mirrors, a change in the layout of the furniture or even the addition of a window to an outside wall.

3. Understand the Psychology of Space

There’s physical comfort and there’s visual comfort. Some people’s comfort level lies strictly in the visual — the attractiveness of a façade, the lushness of the landscaping. Some people’s comfort level lies strictly in the physical — how their lifestyle fits a floor plan, how the home’s security system eases their fears. In its simplest terms, the psychology of space studies how a home “feels” to a buyer, and few clients understand themselves well enough to define it for me. The multigenerational family seeking a four-bedroom, for example, didn’t know on a conscious level that homes with a split plan were important for their physical comfort. As a salesperson, it’s up to you to decipher this as you observe.

4. Form Relationships with Architects

Architects design homes and condos, and they’re proud of their work. If you can get to know these people better, it will give you an edge in selling listings not always available to the general public. I’ve sold condos in buildings I helped design, and my contacts have helped me obtain property for clients that couldn’t otherwise get a foot in the door — literally.

5. Learn the Basics of Design and Function

A master’s degree in architecture helped me, but most Realtors can learn the basics of design by reading books and magazines. Start with a subscription to Dwell magazine (http://www.dwellmag.com), which offers light reading on modern design and construction. Everyone in the industry reads Architecture magazine (http://www.architecturemag.com), but it’s also understandable to the general public, and offers innovative projects with detailed descriptive drawings.

If anyone new to building design asks me for advice, I recommend a book, “Building Construction” by Francis D.K. Ching. It explains in simple terms how a wall, roof or floor is put together, and other building basics. It’s a great tool for Realtors, homeowners and investors.

Ricardo Herrán is a broker-associate with Nova Realty Group Inc. in Miami. A 1997 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he earned his Master of Architecture degree from Florida International University. Prior to entering real estate full-time, he worked for Arquitectonica in Miami.