How to Stage Your Home to Help Buyers Fall in Love!

Great staging isn’t an insurance policy — there’s no guarantee it will bring in more money when you sell your home — but it can be a very important and useful marketing tool. It presents your house in a flattering light and helps you compete at a favorable price.

The Stats Behind Staging:

• 77% of buyers’ agents said staging makes it easier for their buyer to visualize the property as their future home. It’s like helping the buyer dream it so they can achieve it — and so you and your agent can make the sale.
• 39% of sellers’ agents said staging a home greatly decreases the amount of time a house is on the market. For you, time saved could mean moving into your new house even sooner.
• 21% of sellers’ agents said staging a home increases its dollar value between 6% and 10%. Simply put, that may lead to more money in your pocket. - data as per the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

Budgeting:

Staging costs vary depending on where you live and how many rooms you’re staging. On average, home sellers pay between $300 and $1,350 for staging. If your house is empty because you’ve already moved out, you might also have additional expenses for renting furniture and other homey decorations to make it look lived-in.

First & Foremost, Declutter:

The simplest, and most effective part of home staging before you consider hiring a professional is completely free - DECLUTTER! Buyer's don't like walking into a messy house, and as cute and sweet as they are, they don't get the same feeling looking at your stunning photos of your family and pets as you do. Decluttering and de-personalizing are the number one priority when it comes to staging. Note: We can all sometimes be guilty for shoving things into closet when we're cleaning the rest of the home, but keep in mind that buyers WILL be checking out the closet space, and an organized closet is much easier to imagine their own belongings in than a messy one. 

Decipher Most Important Rooms:

You don't have to stage every room in your home, that could get quite expensive quite quickly. Once you've decluttered all rooms and spaces and taken down your personables, take a look at the Living Room, Master Bedroom, & Kitchen first. Check to see if these rooms give that "WOW" factor. If not, you may want to consider staging. 

Lastly, Stage Your Yard:

This step may sound silly at first, we don't want you to imagine hanging art work on your fences or putting leather couches in the yard. Instead, especially in Spring/Summer, make sure your yard also has that wow factor. If you haven't done much landscaping, now might be the time. Plant some flowers to add some zest and life to your yard, cut the grass or resod if need be, ensure that any leaves are raked and removed, and lastly, you guessed it, declutter. If there are childrens toys, plenty of chairs scattered through the yard, or tools that have been left out, put them away neatly, preferably in an out of site area. 

You've got the basics, and now you're a pro. Use these small tips when the time comes for Gary "Mr Action" Fayerman to sell your home.