TIPS ON HOW TO START “SETTING THE STAGE”

Home Staging creates a space that a buyer can visualize themselves living in; it’s about showing your home at its full potential. Less than five percent of the buyers can visualize a room in a manner other than what they see in front of them. Buying a home is emotional. People decide on a house within 11 seconds of entering the front door. You want the buyer to immediately think “this is my home”. Staging helps stir the appropriate emotion. Let’s get ready to STAGE!

1)      Curb Appeal: A buyer may not get out of the car if they don’t like what they see. Cut the grass, shovel the snow, brush down the cob webs, make needed repairs, and paint the front door.

2)      First Impressions Only Happen Once: Take a critical look inside the entryway and all the rooms you can see from the entryway. This is where you need to start to create a “wow” factor to make them want to keep looking.

3)      Declutter: Let the buyer see your home, not your things. You are not selling your things. This does not mean having any artwork or accessories. Both are key to setting the tone of the home and drawing your eye to key features.

4)      Furniture Placement: Every room has a focal point. Furniture enhances the focal point as well as sets traffic patterns. The placement of furniture can make a room look too small or too odd. Correct arrangement is critical.

5)      Paint: Paint is the key emotional piece of selling a home. An incorrect color can make or break a sale. Neutral does NOT mean white!

6)      Clean, Clean, Clean: If you are selling a car you detail clean it, toothbrush clean. The same must be done with your house when selling and it must be maintained that way. You will be way ahead of your competition if your house sparkles.

7)      Lighting: You can never have too much. No one likes to walk into a dark and dreary house. You may need to buy additional lighting and make sure to place it in the most enhancing position for the room. If possible, turn on every light prior to a showing.

8)      Depersonalize: If you don’t see it in a model home, you don’t want the buyer to see it in your home. No trash containers, bathroom scales, tooth paste or shampoo.

9)      Accessorize: No matter how old your home, it can look like a model home with a few inexpensive accessories in key areas.

10)   Repairs and Upgrades may be needed: Consider the listing price of your home. The buyer expects to find certain things in a given price range. Visit our website to see the average cost and potential return on your investment for common upgrades.