First impressions matter. When searching for a new home, buyers are not only looking for the physical from – they are searching for a new lifestyle. A new home is a new opportunity to improve one's lifestyle or fulfill long awaited dreams. The purpose of a showing is to not only show off the best features of a home, but for potential buyers to envision their lives in the home. Not everyone who sells their space invests in staging, but staging is designed to showcase a home’s best assets, impress buyers, and sell it quickly for the highest possible price.
A stellar home staging can be the difference between a quick sale and a stale home sitting on the market for way longer than anticipated. According to the 2021 Profile of Home Staging, a report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 47% of buyers’ agents said that staging positively affected most buyers’ opinions of a home. If you have a home on the market or have been thinking about selling, make an effort to stage your home to highlight its best features and downplay its bad features to appeal to as many people as possible. Set the stage for success and attract all the homebuyers in town with these proven tips!
1. Focus on Curb Appeal
A home tour begins the second a potential buyer arrives in the neighborhood. Curb appeal matters. In fact, many buyers/clients will decide to tour a home after simply driving past the home. Make sure your home is ready to wow everyone from certified appointments to curious street traffic.
Here are some tips to spruce up the exterior of your home:
- Power wash siding and walkways
- Paint the front door and/or shutters a bright color
- Plant blooming flowers and fresh greenery
- Replace old house numbers, lighting, the mailbox and welcome mat.
2. Make Sure your Home is Sparkling Clean
From shining windows to dust-free corners, every surface should gleam and sparkle. This is the easiest (and cheapest) avenue to help your home impress those on the market. An unclean space is sure to distract from the highlights and pleasantries of a home. After all, home tours are meant to sell buyers an ideal dream of a life inside a home – it almost certainly does not include grimy surfaces. If you doubt your ability to get the job done, consider hiring professionals. This is an area that you do not want to skimp on!
Here is a short checklist to remember to clean:
- Clean Windows
- Wipe Countertops
- Deep Clean Bathrooms
- Sweep/Mop Floors
- Fold/Put away laundry
- Throw away trash
- Spray Febreze or another room spray all over the home so it smells delightful
3. Rethink Furniture Placement
Is your furniture actually in the perfect place or did it just make the most sense according to your lifestyle? There is a long-held belief that placing furniture against walls makes the space look larger but that is not actually the truth. Try arranging the furniture in the middle of the room, into groups. Reposition sofas and chairs into cozy conversational groups, and place pieces so that the traffic flow in a room is obvious.
Think about the Feng Shui of the space. Take a good look and ask yourself: does everything work together in this space? If the answer is no, it may be a good time to change it up. Style your dining room table. Between dinners, a large dining table can look bare and uninviting, so styling it up with visitors in mind can increase the appeal. Set the table!
4. Depersonalize the space
This tip may be difficult for many. While your home may be sentimental for your family and a space that created many long-lasting memories, but strangers do not necessarily wany to see it. Potential buyers want to be able to picture themselves in your home, and that’s hard to do if all they see are your personal items. Remove family photos, your kids’ artwork, framed diplomas and personal collections. Replace everything with generic artwork and tchotchkes. Paint the walls gender neutral colors and appeal to everyone with clean, tailored bedrooms, free of personal items and clutter.
You can ever go wrong with fresh linens and beige colors. By creating a neutral space, it opens up the imagination of your audience to picture their lives and furniture in the space.
5. Erase Signs of Pets
We know that you love your pets and so do we! However, buyers may be turned off by pet odors or fur. They may even be allergic. To prepare your home vacuum, wipe down, and open windows by the areas that they spend the most of their time. Right before the hoards arrive, tidy up and put away all of their toys, food, peds, and litter boxes in a car or a remote closet. Get your pets out of the home day of by taking them to the dog park or asking a trusted friend to take them for the day.
6. Use "Extra” Rooms to your Advantage
If you have been using a spare room or the garage as the landing pad for odd pieces of furniture and boxes of junk, it's time to clean up your act. Each room should have a clearly defined purpose in a tour, so think about what potential buyers might like to see here. An office? A guest room? Another kids' room? Look into moving furniture from other rooms or renting some furniture for the weekend to transform the space into a livable area. Staging every single room of the home will have a large payoff in the long run and will help sell your home even faster.
7. Create a Friendly Environment
The look of the home and the atmosphere you have created is not the only element that matters in the showings. Hire a talented realtor that is ready to interact with potential buyers and further play up the amazing features that you know and love. Create a welcoming environment so your guests feel comfortable and ready to appreciate the space. Consider baking cookies or providing refreshments to add the extra “oomph” to your event. If you have been looking for the perfect realtor, consider one of our expert agents at Sync Brokerage. We have the perfect portfolio or warm and bright agents who are ready to help you sell your home today!
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