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Friday, June 4, 2010

Does Staging Really Help To Sell Your House?









In recent years we have all been hearing more and more about staging. Is staging really necessary when selling a home?  Is it worth it to spend the money to have your property staged?  Studies show that staged homes generally sell faster and for more money then homes that are not staged.  We recommend that you take into account the current state of the market when deciding whether or not to stage your home.  First, are you selling in a hot seller's market, balanced or buyer's market?  If you are selling during a seller's market, it probably will not be necessary to stage your home.  If the market is a bit slower or if there is a lot of competition, staging may be a good idea.  You will want your property to stand out from the others on the market and having a staged home may bring higher offers to the table. 

4 comments:

Alice Lane said...

Some Tips About Home Staging Trying to sell your home can be one of the most frustrating things about being a homeowner. People looking for a new home can be ruthless and bent on finding their idea of perfection. The slightest wrinkle in the first impression can change their mind so quickly. Home staging is a concept that allows homeowners to gain an edge on the buyer. With a few of these tips in mind, you can quickly turn your home into the place buyers want to see.

First of all, you must do a total sweep and rid your home of the clutter. Homebuyers don't want to see all the things you have dragged into your bungalow craftsman house plans home over the past few years. They want to envision the space and figure out how they can make it their own. They will likely open every cabinet, pantry, and closet door to see what storage is like. So it's time to clear out every space!

So it doesn't seem so overwhelming, break this project down and tackle one room at a time in its entirety. Determine an expiration date on items. Be it three months or one year, pick a date and toss out anything that hasn't been used or missed in that length of time. The "One In, One Out" rule is also great for going through the home staging process. If you buy a board game, you need to get rod of one. Same thing applies to sweaters, shoes, cookbooks, etc. Also, in the end, do not feel guilty for keeping something that has sentimental value. It is your stuff and only you can determine what to do with it. On the other hand, do not feel guilty for tossing something that once meant a great deal to you or to a family member, but no longer does. Donate it - it may bring great joy to the next person who owns it!

Realistically, busy families of today don't have the time to keep their home in a "perfect showing state" every moment of every day. Baskets are a great way to add a simple decorative touch to any room while also stashing stuff quickly before a potential buyer comes through. This does not give you license to keep the clutter and just hide it strategically. The baskets are more for a last minute approach as someone views the house between school and soccer. Just stick the mail into a basket until you get a chance to sort it and now the table is clean!

Always arrange books on shelves or tables, somehow stacked in an interesting way if possible. By subject, author, or alphabetically by title, people are pulled towards bookshelves and will see what's there. Remove the dust covers for a more uniform and decorative appearance.

Alice Lane said...

Decorative touches and small elements should be displayed in groups of 1, 3, or 5 to draw the eye. These groupings should be arranged purposefully to highlight predetermined areas. For example, if the fireplace is the highlight of the main room, use accent lighting to draw attention to items on the mantelpiece. Flaunt what you have with style!

If you have the chance, remove furniture from the rooms in your acadian style house plans home and store it elsewhere for awhile. That extra corner table may be great for storing a puzzle when the family isn't working on it, but it's also taking up a great deal of visual space. Remember that homebuyers want to see the space and what they can do with it, instead of seeing what you did with it already. The less of your furniture they see, the more likely they can picture their belongings and personal style in the space. Minimizing furniture throughout the home will also promote good traffic flow and will take the spotlight off tight areas. As you remove excess furniture, evaluate the lighting situation in each room and bring in additional lamps or remove lighting if needed. Spaces that are highlighted with a variety of lighting schemes definitely appeal to buyers.

Show some extra attention to your entryway. Most homeowners use their entry from the garage into the home more frequently than their main front entrance. Potential buyers will come in through the front door and first impressions are lasting. Detailed landscaping, warm lighting inside and out, and adequate space to move inside are all things that can quickly win over fickle buyers.

Beyond first impressions, buyers are often compelled to critique the kitchen, bathrooms, and storage spaces thoroughly. Kitchens are viewed as the epicenter of the home and should be warm and inviting for family and friends alike. Bathrooms should appear as clean, calming environments. Stash the kids' bath toys under the sink while showing your home. Remember what we said about clearing out the clutter? Unfortunately, the closets were not exempt from this rule. Clear every closet space so it looks half empty.

Alice Lane said...

Cluttered closets give the impression that storage space is limited, when really, you may just need to get rid of the clothes that no longer fit. This is the wrong impression to give a buyer! Half empty closets appear open and bigger than you might think. They also keep overly snoopy people from getting an eyeful of everything you own.

Finally, take the time to conceal the fact that you have pets. A beautiful clean aquarium filled with your collection of prized tropical fish is not the problem. But your beloved puppy that leaves his toys everywhere could be. Potential homebuyers do not care if your favorite family pet is the sweetest animal there ever was - they are not looking to be sold on an animal. They want to buy a house built from low country house plans. So stash toys, leashes, and dishes totally out of sight when they are not being used. And, remember that smells are just as important as visual elements. If carpets needs to be cleaned and freshened and litter boxes changed, then before a potential buyer appears at the door, this should be done.

Staging a home is not a convenient process. But neither is having a home on the market for over a year. Taking the time to stage your home and show it at its very best may be a little bit of an inconvenience for a short while, but in the end, it can also be the very thing that gets your home off the market faster than you ever hoped. Take the time to make your home just perfect. Check in with your realtor for any suggestions he or she may have after each showing. Before you know it, staging and selling your home will be a thing of the past!

Everyone thinks that their house built from bungalow craftsman house plans they bought from House Plans and More is the very best place that money can buy, so when the house doesn't sell right away it is easy to get discouraged. If you find that you aren't getting those offers that you wanted, staging your acadian style house plans is the easiest way to get that ball rolling. Setting the perfect scene for potential buyers of your House Plans and More's low country house plans is sure to peak the interest in the buyers market!

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Taries Y said...

I think the best way to a successful home staging is to focus on what the buyer wants and need.