Selling a house? Home staging dresses your house for success
In any real estate market, a house that shows well and is in good condition is going to outshine the
competition. Now factor in a market with a shift from a few years ago - increase in supply and decrease in demand. How do you stay in the game and eke ahead of the competition when you are selling a house?
You need to dress your house for success.
Dressing your house for success doesn’t have to mean pouring thousands of dollars into your dwelling. If you have kept up on routine maintenance - i.e., roof repairs, furnace cleanings and A/C inspections, you are ahead of the game. This “Sunday best” outfit is called staging, and market-savvy real estate agents use staging to get their clients’ houses sold, or hire professional stagers to stage their clients’ houses for them.
The practice of home staging means getting your house in show-ready shape. When done correctly, it allows buyers to walk through a house and envision it as their home. If buyers cannot visualize their belongings in your house, then they will not consider it as an option for them.
It’s really that simple.
“First appearance is everything to a buyer”
There are simple changes any homeowner can make. De-cluttering is key. Get a storage unit to put your furniture in so buyers are able to truly view their surroundings. Your house also needs to be sparkling clean. “Broom clean” condition isn’t good enough anymore.
You should paint your house in neutral
colors - off-white or taupe. Neutralization helps people see themselves in the house. The style these days isn’t as color-coordinated as it used to be and gone are the days of just white walls.
Personalization can be a tricky thing when it comes to staging a house. It’s OK to leave a few family photos up, but you don’t want walls of murals dedicated to your family pictures.
Buyers just don’t want to see that.
Don’t forget to work on your house’s curb appeal. A buyer’s first impression starts as soon as they drive up to a house:
- Pressure-wash the driveway and house.
- Paint the front door.
- Manicure the lawn.
- Pull the weeds.
- Plant a few flowers in your beds.
The last bit of advice when staging your house? Remember to look through your house as if you were a potential buyer. Another tip to remember: If you have any personal effects lying around, it’s best to tuck those away in cabinets and drawers. More than a few times, a buyer has viewed something better left private - even the bathroom of a house is viewed with discerning eyes.
Posted by Rebecca D. Levinson
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Selling a house? Home staging dresses your house for success
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