As a seller, your job is to lure potential buyers who will bid on your home. While you might have several prospective buyers who are interested in your home, only a few will submit bids. The more interest you can drive, the greater the chances that these bids meet or excerpt the asking price.
One way to win over buyers is with home staging. Learn more about the staging process and how it can increase the perceived value of your home.
You have to declutter your home anyway.
The first step in creating a staged home is removing clutter. When a potential buyer walks into your living room, you don’t want them to think about the sports teams you support or the action figures you collect. Instead, you want them to see the space as their future home.
The first step in home staging is decluttering. Removing items can make a space look bigger, increasing the perceived value of the home and potentially driving higher offers. You don’t want to show an empty house, but you want to remove any item that isn’t essential or that could distract buyers. There are additional benefits of staging a home with decluttering: you will have to pack up everything to move anyway. Why not start the process now?
Use the five senses to your advantage.
A professional stager knows that a first impression is formed as soon as a buyer walks into a room. This takes less time than you think. An odd smell or poor lighting can turn off a buyer, causing them to have a negative impression of your home.
As you prepare for showings, make sure all five senses have positive experiences when touring the space. Clean beforehand so your visitors aren’t met with foul odors and consider using candles to set the smell. You can also leave a plate of mints at the door for people to take.
Staging involves adding items to rooms that appeal to the senses. For example, you can add bathroom supplies like fluffy towels and exfoliating salt scrubs that make buyers feel like they are at the spa—even when they are just washing their hands. All of these steps work to stage a property.
Rent furniture ahead of an open house.
If you already moved out of a property, or if your furniture isn’t showing-ready, consider renting furniture as part of the staging process. The home stager you hire follows decor trends and will be able to find pieces that make your rooms look larger and more appealing.
Sometimes stagers replace furniture across the whole house, but sometimes they only need to work on a few spaces. For example, if your backyard is empty, they might add a fire pit, some patio furniture, or a kids playground to help home buyers picture what living there is like.
Furniture can be rented by the month, so you may want to use it for an open house that you hold. During this time, several buyers and buyers’ agents will walk through the property to determine if it is desirable. The last thing you want is to showcase empty rooms that don’t seem to serve a purpose. A good stager can determine which rooms need rented furniture and which ones don’t need it.
An expert home stager knows that a few small changes can make a huge difference in the dollar value of offers. You can sell your home faster than if you listed an empty house or used your own furniture. If you want to improve your home’s value but can afford significant changes, look into staging and highlight the property’s best features.
