To maximize the profits and potential offers when selling your home, strategically staging it can play a tremendous role. Home staging involves organizing and designing both the interior and exterior of an on-the-market property so that it looks inviting, desirable, and functional. If a home is perfectly staged, the majority of potential buyers will walk through and effortlessly imagine living there.
Aside from the visual appeal of home staging, this technique can draw in a multitude of buyers, and therefore enhance the price and decrease the longevity your home is on the market.
If you’re selling a home and weighing the opportunities of home-staging investments, we’ve provided the information and possibilities you need to create a “buyable” home environment.
Make a Plan
Before you can stage your home, you need to have a plan. The first thing to do is gather some information. What is your homes current market price? Knowing this can help you budget for staging, and anticipate selling price.
Next, do a thorough, hypercritical walkthrough of your home’s interior, making a note for every small scratch on the wall, or stain on the carpet. Record anything that’s visually, or technically insufficient in detail. If you’ve teamed up with a real estate expert, consider asking them to critique your home.
Review your list and separate largescale repairs from minor inefficiencies that you can fix individually. Budget for a professional to help with repairs; even if they seem unnecessary or small, every detail can alter the ultimate value of your home.
Finally, before you can start your staging, turn your home into a blank canvas. Declutter as much as possible, some stagers move their extra belongings to a garage or a separate, rented, storage unit
Time to Clean
Now that you’ve decluttered, you’re ready to get down to the business of cleaning your home. While this part can be unpleasant, it is vital to the staging process. From deep cleaning the carpets and scrubbing down the floors, to making the showers, counters, and appliances sparkle, your cleaning process should be fastidiously thorough.
After deep cleaning, you can start miscellaneous repairs. Fill any cracks in the walls, replace any missing knobs or handles, and remove damaged, cracked windows and glass. Now is the time to handle any upgrades that don’t require professional assistance.
Next, you need to depersonalize your home. You want potential buyers to visualize themselves in your home, and that’s hard to do if your family photos are displayed at every turn. Remove any references to religion and politics; small details can turn people off, even if they don’t consciously realize it.
If your home is painted bright, abstract colors, consider repainting with soft, neutral tones to warm the overall aesthetics. Outdated fixtures, such as wallpaper and appliances, can also be replaced to amp the market value and appeal of your home.
Now to the actual staging. Rearrange your furniture, or even move some into storage, to create the most spacious settings. Open up the windows to let in natural light, too.
Spruce up the Exterior
Of course, don’t forget the exterior of your home. A quality paint job, remembering the doors, trim, and shutters, can draw in buyers before even entering your home.
Power wash your home’s siding. Sweep the porch. Clean out the gutters, and repair any cracks in your sidewalk or driveway. Mow the lawn, too, and trim all of your shrubs and trees. In general, make your home look as close to picture-perfect as you can.
Appeal to Buyer’s Senses
You want to make sure your home appeals to as many of the buyer’s senses as possible. Light a scented candle or even bake cookies to give a warm, comforting smell to the interior of your home.
Offering light refreshments is undoubtedly appropriate, especially at an open house. You can also open the windows to let in some fresh air if the weather permits. Remember that once you’ve started cleaning your home, you shouldn’t smoke in it. You don’t want a mere smell to turn off prospective buyers altogether.
Be sure you’ve turned on all the lights and that you have the blinds open. Also, think about the noise. You might want to board your pets, especially if you have dogs that tend to bark and jump at guests.
Host an Open House
To maximize the crowd at your open house, you’ll want to advertise the date and location. Put up a sign display in your front yard, advertise your open house in the local newspaper, or promote your home online. To optimize the price and speed your home selling process, a large buyer populous is necessary.
Once there, make sure you highlight your house’s best features, such as its hardwood floors, fireplace, walk-in closets, or pool. Also, be sure to have generic buyer paperwork on hand, including inspection reports, property description, and homeowner association information. Finally, have offer forms available for those who want to make a bid.
If you are unsure or need further guidance selling your home please contact a licensed REALTOR® and they can assist you with the sales process.
By following these steps to home staging, you’ll be able to make your home look outstanding so that you can attract a large number of potential buyers. If all goes well, you’ll get an offer very quickly.
