A snip it from WEBMD - Our sense of touch profoundly affects how we view the world and other people, influencing thoughts and behavior, new research indicates. Knowing this, I would say touch is a very important thing to remember when selling a home.

About a year ago, my husband and I were searching for a new home. As a realtor, and my husband being an engineer, we are hard to please. We looked at several different homes, and finally settled on a bank-owned home that we are now renovating. While we were searching though, we were very surprised to find that interior doors had a huge effect on how we felt about each home. For example, when we toured one home we fell in love with the interior doors but the location wasn't what we wanted. The doors were solid and beautiful, and after that house we began looking at interior doors on other homes we toured.

Some of the doors were awesome, but others were weak and hollow. But, I noticed that everyone touches the doors on the interior of the house and this can either have a positive or negative affect. Buyers might not even notice this negative affect, but they could get a feeling about the home just because the doors aren't very nice. Knowing now how important the interior doors are to a potential buyer, I suggest that we go beyond the “red door effect” and focus on both the front door and interior doors. Even doors like the closet doors are important!

So, how do the interior doors feel? When you move them are they solid, secure, smooth? Or are they weak, hollow, and rough? What about the door knobs? Are they smooth and clean feeling? Or are they dirty? It may not seem like a big deal, but if the buyer touches the doors or door knobs and it isn't appealing to them then it could have a negative effect. Also; if by changing the door knob you can make your house more appealing to buyers, why wouldn't you? It is a minor change that could have a huge effect when buyers tour your home.

So before you get ready to sell your home, go through your house and check each interior door. How does it look? How does it feel when you move it? These are things you should check so that if the doors/door handles need to be changed you know BEFORE the open house as opposed to AFTER the open house. It would be unfortunate, if a buyer who was in love with a home fell out of love because they touched the door or tried to turn the handle.

Michelle Gordon is a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty - Grand Rapids Michigan - voted the best Real Estate company by readers poll 2009 - 2010 in the Grand Rapids Magizine. Focus on 1st time home buyers, Relocation and listings in the Kent County area. You may find Michelle on facebook, twitter or linked in and she invites you to join her.