Five Staging Tips to Help Sell Your Home
If you are thinking about selling your home, here are five simple budget minded suggestions that are easy to do and will enhance the appearance and appeal of your home to the prospective buyer.
1. Create an environment that will appeal to the most people as possible. Use neutral colors when painting: beige tones; gray tones or pale greens work well. A minimal amount of furniture and accessories in the home makes it easier for the buyer to see the home’s floor plan. Put away personal items such as trophies, family photos, and collectables. Your doll, seashell or pet rock collection may be important to you but it will give the home a cluttered feel. So, pack those collections away save them for your next home.
2. Always take full advantage of all artificial and natural lighting. Check your light bulbs and make sure they are all working and that the bulbs have the some color. If some bulbs burn white and other bulbs yellow in a room, it looks odd and detracts from the room’s appearance. Try not to block any natural lighting coming into the home, particularly if you have attractive views. Remove heavy curtains and furniture in front of the windows. If possible, stage the room with light colored furniture, which will enhance lightness and makes the room seem larger.
3. Think about the purpose of each of your rooms. Homebuyers who see the property might not have the vision for what a room could be, and might distracted by how the current homeowner is using a room. For example, if the dining room is wall-to-wall toys, the homebuyer might leave the house thinking there is no dining room in the home. For best results with potential buyers turn the dining room back into a dining room and remove unrelated items.
4. Remove traces of family pets. This is a challenging one, but many buyers are extremely sensitive to pet odor, and the sight and smell of a litter box will put their nose into overdrive. Offensive odors have been known to cost many homeowners a sale. Large dog kennels in the kitchen can also take away from the appeal of your home. If you have gnawed woodwork, scratched floors or frayed rugs/carpets due to animals, make repairs before putting your house on the market.
5. When staging, create a focal point in the room. Set the table in a simple uncluttered fashion, remove extra leaves from the table to maximize available space and make the room look larger. Have a headboard on the bed in the bedroom, place fresh flowers on tables, and in large or empty rooms add a well-placed plant. All these techniques create a focal point that draws the eye and creates interest. If your home is completely empty ask your realtor about virtual staging; this is a technique where empty rooms are staged with photos showing them furnished and accessorized. Ninety percent of buyers start their home search online. Sometimes it is impossible or impractical to stage a home. Virtual staging gives buyers an idea of what the home could look like with furniture.
In summary, think about creating a clean, uncluttered, neutral canvas when staging your home and you should get a buyer quicker and for top dollar. According to Inman for every $1 that is put into staging a home there will be a $2 increase in sale price.
Marta Beckett, Realtor
Keller Williams Realty- Eden Prairie
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EPPIA is a networking group whose members are committed to the welfare of seniors in our community. EPPIA members meet to learn, exchange information and discuss issues in the field of aging. For more information on EPPIA and local senior resources, please visit our website at www.edenprairieaging.org.