First impressions count, especially when selling your home. Since most buyers are beginning their home search online, it is important that your home looks the best from the moment they see it online. This is one concept that many homeowners trying to sell their homes and first-time property investors trying to sell or rent property fail to understand.
Curb appeal is often the first impression when it comes to a house. This is the place that you as a seller want those driving buy to think of as home. For this reason, you should pay careful attention and spend some degree of time and effort making the outside of the home inviting and appealing to potential buyers or renters.
There is something to be said about a neat and tidy house when you are sorting through house after house looking for the perfect home for you and your family. This is something that should be kept in mind when selling either a personal home or an investment property. There are a few other things you should keep in mind when it comes to selling real estate. One of those things is that staging sells homes.
Seriously, there is something cold about an empty house. It could be painted impeccably and meet every possible standard a family has and yet feel cold and anything but homey when walking through the home for a real estate tour or inspection. This can be easily overcome by contacting a local furniture rental store and picking out furniture that will match at least the primary rooms of the home in order to make the home appear lived in and homelike.
The primary rooms that you will want to appear ‘lived in’ are the living room, dining room, master bedroom, and all bathrooms. These are the rooms that essentially sell homes and it is important to make them appear neat, orderly, and well cared for. If you have the funds for every room in the home then, by all means, do so. It is a huge selling point, particularly for those who are trying to sell homes quickly. If the home doesn’t sell after the first two weeks or month (you decide the time limit) then you may want to remove the ‘staging’ furniture in order to eliminate the expense. I would strongly encourage you to keep this furniture as long as the home is being shown fairly regularly though.
You will want to do so much more than simply putting furniture in the property you are trying to sell. You want to create an atmosphere or warmth and comfort. This means you want to have prints on the walls, mirrors, plants, and pillows. You do not have to purchase items, particularly for this process. You can use things from your own home in order to establish this atmosphere of home-like comfort.
Other things that may help an empty home sell are scents. There is nothing quite like the smell of cookies in the oven or flowers in bloom to make a home feel ‘homey’. These scents can be easily accomplished with well placed scented candles, potpourri warmers, dry potpourri, fresh-cut flowers, and electric room air fresheners. There are few things that will turn off potential buyers more quickly than an overpowering fragrance however so keep this in mind when selecting the method of fragrance. Having some fragrance in the home also eliminates the problem of an empty house taking on the ‘empty house’ scent that so many do over time. In other words, this is yet another part of the staging process that works for many trying to sell homes.
The short answer to the question of whether or not staging sells real estate is “yes”. Staging a home can absolutely lead to a higher offer and a quicker sale!
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
How your home is presented is one of the most powerful tools you can use when selling your home if you want to attract the most buyers and increase demand (and your sale price)!
The best way to make sure your house looks it’s best for the photographer and the buyers is to stage it. Many sellers run the other way when they hear this because they see dollar signs when they think of staging. However, this month’s series is focused on the ultimate home staging shopping list!
I’m sharing what kind of items you should focus on adding or replacing when it comes to staging your home on a budget. Request my free guide if you want to get all the details along with links to the products I recommend!
