The psychology behind selling real estate.

This is the selling tip that resonates with me:

According to Dr. Sheena Iyengar, a professor of management and director of the global leadership program at Columbia and the author of “The Art of Choosing” (Twelve, 2010), to show one’s favorites first and last is to call up the “primary and recency effects.” The first property, she says, serves as a mental benchmark — everything seen subsequently is compared with it — while the last property, having just been viewed, is easier to recall.

For what it’s worth, brokers, Dr. Iyengar advocates making a slight adjustment to the lineup, saying in an interview: “If you want to optimize showing a particular property, make it next to last. But the important point is to show them the properties that you want to impress on them, at the points when they have energy.”

Tip: Make the best thing you want to sell the second to last thing they see.