It is no secret that home sellers can dramatically improve their chances of making a sale by devoting attention to an often-overlooked corner of real estate marketing: home staging. The goal of this marketing technique is to get the buyer to mentally move into the home.
On the other hand, it is easy to go overboard on the staging which can make a home look almost uncomfortable or a setting contrived. Home buyers don’t want to feel like they are getting the hard sell.
Get potential buyers inside. The first thing a prospective buyer notices about a home is the front yard. Cut the grass, trim the hedges, rake those leaves, sweep the sidewalks, and power-wash the driveway. Too many potted plants scattered around the property will make it look cluttered and messy. And get rid of any plants that are dead!
Pretend you’re camping – minimize and de-clutter! A cluttered room can appear too small to buyers. Go through each room and divide belongings into two piles: keep and give-up. Items in the keep pile will be used to stage the room, while those in the give up pile should be stored elsewhere, or better yet given away. One home stager says, “Pretend you are camping. When you go camping, you are not taking all those books, right? A de-cluttered room might appear bare to the seller (who’s used to seeing more of their things there), but a buyer probably won’t think so. You are not selling your things or trying to impress anyone with them. You are selling your space and buyers can’t visualize themselves or their own things there when there is too much of your stuff in the room. Don’t forget about the outdoor spaces too: de-clutter potted plants, kids’ toys, gardening items, outdoor furniture and accessories, etc.”
Balance hard and soft surfaces. When staging a room, it’s essential to have a good balance of hard surfaces, such as a coffee-table top, and soft surfaces, like a carpet or pillows. For example, a room with a cushy, 7-foot-long sofa, a love seat, and four La-Z-Boy recliners has too many soft surfaces and not enough hard surfaces. Instead, consider getting rid of the La-Z-Boys and the love seat, replacing them with two wingback chairs and an accent table. If you have hardwood floors but no rugs add more softness by adding a coordinating area rug.
Arrange items on top of hard surfaces in ones or threes. Odd number grouping is one of the most fail safe techniques to decorate an interior especially when arranging home accessories. It is even more than just a rule of thumb but a standard to follow. Place three items—say, a lamp, a plant, and a book—on top of a larger hard surface, like an end table. Two items would appear too bare but 10 things on the table out be overdone. The three items should be closely grouped together in a triangle shape. For hard surfaces with less area, however, a single item will do.
Decide from the doorway. Would-be buyers will get their first impression of each room from the doorway, so homeowners should use that perspective to assess their staging work. Do some staging, go back to the doorway. Do some more, go back to the doorway. Have your real estate professional bring some of their associates through the house for a tour to make additional staging recommendations.
Make your place “Q-Tip clean.” A properly staged home should be immaculate, or ―Q-Tip clean,‖ This could mean using Q-Tips to clean dead flies out of a windowsill or going around the bottom of the toilet on the floor. The purpose of an immaculate house is more than just making it presentable. If a home is messy or dirty, a buyer may wonder what else about this property hasn’t been cared for, like major and minor maintenance items. Also, make sure that the house smells fresh and clean, air out any cooking or animal odors, and use strong air fresheners sparingly.
On a hot summer day a cool home can be a welcome oasis to weary home buyers. Be sure to have the heat or air conditioning set at a comfortable temperature for the entire day. In warmer weather have windows open for fresh air if it’s not hot outside.
Use these tips to showcase your home to potential buyers and sell your home quickly and for the highest price! If you are thinking about selling, please contact us today to see how we can help!
Photos are for our gorgeous listing at 2194 Kincaid Place, click here for more information on this wonderful property.
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