Staging your Home to SELL
Preparing your home to sell can be an exciting time. Staging your home correctly is one of the most important things you can do to attract the most buyers and sell for the highest price. When preparing your home it is best to take a neutral approach. Home buyers need to have the least amount of distractions so they can picture "themselves" and "their things" in your home. With that in mind the following should help you in preparing your home for the market and will help you attract the most buyers and thus the most offers. Happy home staging!
The Outside: Enhance Curb Appeal: 70% of the opinion about your home is made before the buyer walks across the "welcome mat." Home buyers base their initial decisions on location and curb appeal as to whether they want to see inside your home so this is your first chance to make a great impression. Here is how:
- Maintain the Yard! Keep the lawn closely manicured. Trim back tree branches, shrubs and anything that obstructs the view of the home or "darkens" the appearance of the front yard. The better the view from the street, the greater the impression the buyer has of the home. This is especially important for Open House. Many Open Houses have had terrible turnouts because of the yard condition. Cars stop...and then keep driving based on the look of the home from the curb.
- Freshen up the exterior. Repaint chipped or dulled paint. Take down any yard decorations or ornaments. Begin to create a neutral look that will carry over to the interior.
- Eliminate Clutter: Clear off all counter tops in the kitchen and bathroom. Allow the buyers to see how much counter space they will have. Organize closets to show how much storage space there is. Most importantly: box up those knick knacks! The home should be free from distractions to allow the buyers to see the home for its features and not get turned off by personal taste.
- Let the light in: Take down heavy curtains, open up blinds, turn on lights. The brighter the home is inside the warmer, more inviting and more comfortable it is to the buyer. It will also appear more spacious.
- Freshen up the walls: Take down personal pictures, or overly ornate paintings, it will open up the room and also make it more neutral to minimize distractions to the buyer viewing the home. If your home has custom paint or more progressive darker paint schemes, repaint! Paint your walls all one color: white or off white. Many great homes have been overlooked for something as simple as color. Increase your chances with every buyer by making the home neutral.
- Tease the senses: add fresh flowers to the kitchen table, a scented candle or two in the bathroom and some fresh cookies baking in the oven. The more the senses are engaged the more a home buyer will have positive thoughts about making your home "their home."
Your Home: The Complete Package
Presenting your home in the best light will attract the most buyers and the most offers for your home. Take the time to prepare your home to appeal to the widest amount of tastes and you will be surprised how quickly it will sell.
