The real estate agent, the buyer, the music? – A Laurie Stevens insight

Even in the Caribbean, it’s a well known ploy – should you be selling your pied-a-terre, your house or your homely sanctuary – that when your potential buyers arrive, you should have the kind of aromas wafting through the rafters that they are accustomed to, for instance: freshly ground coffee, bread in the oven – maybe a quality furniture polish fragrance cascading et al.

But think of this: some suitable listings on a real estate agents website can be miles apart, depending on island size and demographics, so if the eager property advisor has arranged to take the possible buyers – usually couples – on a well thought out itinerary, maybe the ploy should come a bit sooner. A little of the right background music over the miles in the agent’s car may inspire a feeling of well-being and induce a graceful fast-forward to the future parting of ‘spondoolies’ – colloquially known as CASH! ………….read on….

Try to keep the audio volume below conversation level, avoid instrumental tracks and make sure the lyrical content of your chosen songs is completely lucid and understandable, as a well written line to some is a subtle brainwash to others. Pass on the emotive stuff like ‘New York, New York’, ‘I Love Paris’, ‘Chicago’, ‘China Girl’, ‘Country Roads’ and Dvorak’s ‘Going Home’… blah-blah! – Totally counter productive; think more along the lines of ‘Rally ‘round the West Indies’ a la David Rudder on form, originally penned for the cricket fraternity, an anthem no less – ‘Our House’ a ground breaking ska-linked ditty by Madness, Sting’s ‘Fields of Barley’ if you’re in St Lucia or Grenada, ‘Sugar, Sugar’ from the Archies, if St Kitts is your location; ‘Blue Bayou’ – the Roy Orbison/Linda Ronstadt definitive laid back blood pressure curative – if you’re exploring Antigua & Barbuda. As for Dominica – well, ‘Up a Lazy River’ conjures up its own kind of magic – as does ‘River of Dreams’, Billy Joel’s well crafted musical missive. Stephen Bishop came up with a great number for Jamaica, the melodic ‘On and on’ that captures the very essence of sun, sand and see what I’ve just bought! And indeed it does go on.

Of course the whole tune-filled library could be linked up as a continuous loop, ensuring that your nest egg or investor type ‘prey’ eventually gets the message.

The urge to put reggae, pan music, compa, bouyon or calypso material through your speakers on this trip – albeit indigenous – should be shelved as it surely will be construed as an obvious ploy; your smart visitor will pick up quickly that you’re trying to make him/her/they so much at home even though they haven’t bought one yet.

The subject is broad but subjective; if there are wondrous readers out there with their own ‘tongue in cheek’ choice of material for potential buyers wishing for a piece of the rock in the Caribees’ – lets hear about it!  (Laurie Stevens)

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of the management and staff of Dominica News Online and its parent company.