Professional Home Staging Tips for Sellers
By Tre Pryor
Professional staging puts your home above the competition. Stage it right, and it will definitely sell faster.
When you have a home to sell, you want it to put its best foot forward. This is simply called staging. Home staging is key in order to sell your home fast and at the highest price possible.
In today's market, well-staged properties are the ones that sell first. Big time fixer-uppers also sell quickly if priced right but all the other homes in the middle will simply sit. Why let that happen to your place?
These professional home staging tips will take your house and turn it into something far more attractive, enticing buyers to write that offer. Let's begin!
- Staging Your Home's Exterior
Professional staging begins on the outside of your home. Buyers will evaluate your property the moment they spy it from inside their car. Then, they'll exit the car, walk up the driveway and sidewalk, all the while checking your place out.
It's very important to stage everything they see—from the trees and landscaping to the roof, windows, and even sidewalks. If you can see it, you can bet prospective buyers will see it as well.
- Front Door Makes a Big Impression
Because home buyers will have extra time waiting for their Realtor to gain entrance to the property, as much as 60 seconds, your home’s front door will be the single most analyzed part of your home. So you should pay extra attention to the condition of your front door and the immediate area around it. Remove any dirt, dust or cobwebs. Clean all windows. Make sure the door’s hardware is in peak working condition. This staging tip is huge!
- De-cluttering Is Important
Most home sellers understand that their home should be clean. That's a given. But you also should de-clutter your house to make it appear even cleaner. True real estate professionals understand the importance of less is more.
When it comes to selling your home, it doesn't matter what you like. It matters what potential buyers are looking for. Pack it up, move it out and you will be glad you did.
- Enhance Perception of Size
Any time you remove any non-essential items—furniture, accessories, anything—you will automatically increase the feeling of space. And who doesn't like larger spaces? You can’t increase the actual size of your home, but you can enhance its perceived size.
Also, strategically move furniture away from the walls. Stage meeting spaces. For example, if your living room has two large sofas and three chairs, remove one sofa and one chair then rearrange the remaining pieces for more spacious feeling space.
- Brighten It Up
We've all heard the HGTV shows where buyers cry “This room is so bright and airy!” It's a sought-after feeling by almost all home buyers. So make sure you replace any burned out lightbulbs. Shoot for the higher wattage bulbs that are still safe in your fixture. Then before all your showings, open all the curtains and blinds, turn on all the lights. If you have a fireplace, make sure it's roaring as well. Your spaces can't possibly be too bright.
