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It’s no secret that staged homes sell faster and at a higher price than un-staged or even vacant homes. According to the National Association of Realtors, research has shown that staged homes sell three times faster than a non-staged home. 70% of real estate agents stated that home staging increased the offer value on a house by up to 10%.
Those are some pretty impressive statistics!
Staging is important for two reasons.
- Most people cannot see beyond what is in front of them. They get caught up in past perceptions. You need to show them what is possible.
- People may not be very good with space planning. Rooms tend to feel a lot smaller without furniture, so how we place furniture gives buyers a sample of what is possible.
Here are some inexpensive staging ideas that will have a huge impact on the look and feel of your home when you’re ready to put it on the market.
- Declutter. Declutter again. We all have too much stuff. Me included. Why do I need any more faux plants from Hobby Lobby? I don’t, but I am compelled to purchase more every time I walk in. Take a good harsh look at your home and do one of three things with the stuff. Throw it out, donate it, keep it. For the things you keep, narrow down to what you want to stage the house with and what you’re going to store for your next house. Maybe store the faux plant from Hobby Lobby and replace it with a live nicely potted succulent. That may be all you need to make your coffee table look styled.
- Clean! A clean home will feel well-cared for, which is important for most buyers. Even renovators don’t want to buy somewhere that gives the impression of being neglected. Plus, a clean, aired home will feel fresh and welcoming. This will help buyers envisage themselves living in your home. If you do nothing else, make sure your home is clean, clutter and odor-free (you may be used to your pets’ scent, but buyers won’t be!).
- Rework the plan. Staging a house might involve reworking rooms’ layouts. This is particularly important when staging a living room. Especially if it is an open-plan room that doubles up as a kitchen dining area, in which case you may need to investigate new living room layout ideas. Arrange the room to look its best. Not for practicality’s sake. For example, sometimes a table may be too close to a cabinet for proper opening and closing, and that’s because we are just after a balanced look, instead of necessarily trying to be practical. The same goes for television placement. Some brokers get hung up on whether the TV is viewable from different furnishings. It really doesn’t matter for selling purposes because no one is watching TV when viewing the property.
- Making an entrance. A buyers decision making about a property does not start once inside. It starts 100 feet outside of the entrance. As such, any remedial work or improvement that can be made to the entrance of the home should be done now. This can be as simple as weeding the front path leading to the entrance, to painting a new refreshed color on the front door itself. Try and clean the windows near the entrance and adding some fresh potted plants, especially plants with a nice aroma.
As you can see, these small tips are not costly and only require some sweat equity. The payoff will be very handsome. Please contact me for any questions you have regarding staging and/or selling your home. I would be more than happy to consult not only on ways to make youre home more marketable by staging, but also ways to actually sell your home for top dollar in a competitive market.
