Home Staging: How to Decorate So Potential Buyers Fall in Love With Your Home
Just as you put forth your best efforts for a first date, you’ll want to do the same for your home if you’re looking for prospective buyers. If you want to make your house swoon-worthy, then you’ll want to consider staging your home. Although staging doesn’t guarantee your house will sell for a higher price, it’s a crucial marketing tool for any home seller. Staging ensures your house is presented in a flattering light—and that will help you compete at a favorable price.
According to a recent survey from the National Association of Realtors, 77 percent of buyers’ agents said staging made it easier for buyers to envision a property as their future home. Other results from the same survey include:
· Close to half of sellers’ agents said staging a home decreases the time a home is on the market
· Nearly a quarter of sellers’ agents said staging a home increases that home’s dollar value by as much as 10 percent
The bottom line: Home staging can mean your house sells faster and for more money.
Professional Home Staging
If your home is empty because you’ve already moved, you may want to hire a professional to do the home staging for you. Plan on having additional expenses for renting furniture and décor to make your home look lived in. Empty houses take longer to sell than furnished, occupied, or staged homes. A study from the Appraisal Institute found that vacant houses sold for 6 percent less than occupied houses and stayed on the market longer.
If you are living in your home while it’s on the market, ask your real estate agent for advice on what you should do to make your home more attractive to potential buyers. You could also hire a home stager to do a consultation to help you with do-it-yourself staging.
Clean and Declutter
No buyer wants to walk into a messy house. Decluttering is key.
Organize everyday household items into crates and keep them out of sight. Stow seasonal decorations. Keep kitchen counters clear by stowing small appliances inside cupboards. Clean out and organize closets. Do a thorough deep cleaning of the entire home—or hire professionals to do so. Get the carpets cleaned. Change light bulbs, make any needed minor repairs, and add a fresh coat of paint in a neutral color.
Remove excessive personal items from view, such as copious family photos, artwork, or religious keepsakes. The concern is not that home buyers will be offended by you or your lifestyle. The goal is to neutralize the space and help home buyers imagine themselves living there. Don’t go overboard, however; you still want your home to have a homey feel.
Avoid storing the items you remove in your basement or garage; you don’t want either space to look cluttered either. If you have a lot of stuff to store away, consider renting a storage unit for the time being.
Focus On the Rooms That Count the Most
You probably don’t need to do an HGTV-worthy overhaul of your home to make buyers fall in love. Focus your attention on the rooms where people usually spend most of their time and which tend to “sell” homes. These rooms are usually the living room, family room, kitchen, and master bedroom and bath.
Even small touches, like putting fluffy towels in the bathroom and taking toiletries off the counters or replacing shabby throw pillows in the family room and lighting a candle or two, can help your home make a good first impression with potential buyers.
Make Sure Your Home Has Curb Appeal
Buyers form their first impression when they pull up in front of your home, so make sure what they see is clean and attractive. Plant blooming flowers and fresh greenery. Mow the lawn. Patch bare spots in the grass. Wash the windows. Repaint or restain porches and stairs. Make sure house numbers are visible and easy to see. Even the simplest upgrades can help a buyer fall in love at first sight.
Hoping to make buyers fall in love with your home? Contact real estate matchmaker Sharon Held at Compass: [email protected].
This article was originally posted on Medium.com. You can find it here.