Are you going to be living in your home while in the process of selling it at some point?
You don't have to pack up your entire life or hire an expensive interior designer to impress prospective home buyers and make them fall in love. In fact, with a little bit of effort and some elbow grease your home can shine in no time.
In this video I cover five of the most important, common and cost effective staging tips for sellers
If you’re reading this blog post or watching the video you’re probably contemplating selling your home at some point and wondering the best way to go about doing so.
Transcript:
Hi, I’m Liz Kroft, owner and realtor at Sol Property Advisors, and one of the BIGGEST questions I get from sellers is about staging - especially when you’re living in your home while selling it.
Staging is a very important and cost effective part of the home selling process. Properly preparing and staging your home to show off its best qualities can only add to your final selling price. In fact, on average for every $1 put into staging the sales price increases by $2. Not bad, huh?
When it comes to staging there are 5 Golden Rules I like to follow and take into consideration when working through each room of a home. So here they are:
Golden Rule #1 - Depersonalize!
I cannot overstate the importance of this enough! Buyers need to picture themselves in the house - not you. That wedding photo may mean the world to you, but to the buyer it’s a distraction that prevents them from seeing a home for their family.
Golden Rule #2 - Maximize
Declutter and maximize the space in your home. Closets packed tight with all your clothes make a place look like it lacks closet space. Consider temporarily storing the overflow offsite, or perhaps neatly boxed and organized in your garage or storage shed.
Golden Rule #3 - Sanitize
This golden rule is the easiest and cheapest way to stage your home - just clean it. How many times have you walked into an open house or a friends home and been hit with a funky smell or a mess? Not so great, huh? A sink full of dirty dishes and piles of pet hair in the corner is a major show stopper. It is well worth the elbow grease in cleaning floors, walls, baseboards, ceiling fans and windows.
Golden Rule #4 - Modernize
Unless your home has exceptional period built-ins, all Homs could benefit from some updating. If someone feels the home is dated, they will reflect that feeling in a lower offer - if they submit an offer at all! Consider simple changes like swapping out plumbing fixtures, cabinet hardware, window coverings and area rugs.
Golden Rule #5 - Neutralize
Color can make or break a buyers interest in your home. You may love that bold blue wall, but all the potential buyer sees is a great deal of painting in their future because blue clashes with their style. Painting is one of the most inexpensive ways to change a look of a home - and that fresh paint smell plays a fun psychological trick on buyers brains.
Bonus Golden Rule - Call Me
I would love to come do a walkthrough with you room by room to offer insight on how to put your best foot forward for homebuyers with the minimal amount of effort. Even if you aren’t thinking of selling for awhile or perhaps you would just like some ideas for a refresh lets get together for a walkthrough. No pressure, no obligation. I love this stuff, why else would I be such a passionate full-time realtor? Feel free to call anytime, 831-854-7489.
