Whether you’re hosting an open house or taking photos for your real estate listing, staging a property is important. There are so many benefits of staging a property, including reducing the stress that comes from selling a home and faster sales. In fact, 40% of real estate agents cited that home staging had an effect on their buyers’ opinion of the home.
However, it’s not as simple as tossing some furniture into a room and calling it a day. As a real estate agent, home staging is serious business. It has to be done properly, otherwise you might not get the sale you’re looking for.
Do: Thoroughly Clean the House
No one wants to view a dirty house. No one wants to buy a dirty house, either. It’s that simple. Treat the house like you have the most important guests of your life coming to visit. You don’t have to hire professional cleaners, but vacuuming the floors, sanitizing the bathrooms, cleaning the windows, and dusting the shelves will leave a much better impression than rooms that look neglected.
Don’t: Get Too Personal
It might be tempting to add those little personal touches to a room. A photo of a family, a funky lamp, some sports trophies, those things make a room feel like it belongs to someone. Unfortunately, that’s the problem; the room already feels occupied. You want buyers to be able to imagine a space as theirs, not someone else’s. So as great as you might think a Picasso painting over the fireplace might look, hold off. Your buyer can make that decision when they move in.
Do: Keep It Simple
While you shouldn’t personalize a room too much, you also shouldn’t leave it empty. Potential buyers should be able to tell at a glance what a particular room is meant for. To do this, have the basic furniture and decor on display, preferably in neutral colors.
You don’t have to stage every room either. The key areas to focus on are the living room, dining room, kitchen, and master bedroom. A couch and coffee table in the living room, dining table and chairs in the dining room, a bed and small table in the master bedroom, and some key appliances in the kitchen should set the scene. Be sure to make sure the rooms are well-lit so they look bigger, too. The room is basically a blank canvas, so let your buyers paint their own mental picture.
Don’t: Ignore Your Property’s Curb Appeal
Everyone says “don’t judge a book by its cover” but the fact is, we do. This is especially true for houses. A beautiful, well-maintained exterior implies that just as much care has been put into the interior. Mow the lawn, trim hedges, seal driveway cracks, plant some flowers, and have the door repainted or siding power-washed if necessary. Adding a charming welcome mat can even give the house that little extra boost that will encourage curious buyers to come inside.
Staging a house is important, but it isn’t as hard as it seems. Don’t worry about making it a home; that’s the buyer’s job. Your job is showing them the potential a property has to become that dream home.
Categorised in: Real Estate, Real Estate Tips