Every person who tours your home should find it appealing.  They should be drawn to its best features and feel how it will fit their lifestyles.  Some buyers will find it appealing enough to whip out their checkbook, others will not.  Regardless, you must ensure that you pique the interest of the widest range of prospective buyers.

What’s the best way to create an atmosphere like that?  Home staging.

Your goal is:  a fast sale at the best price.  While “fast” and “best” are relative terms, you  certainly increase the likelihood of meeting this goal by staging your home.  Plus, you already stage your home, whether you know it or not.

Anything you do to maximize the appeal of your home – cutting the grass, painting the trim, shampooing the rug – is a form of home staging.  Staging not only accents a home’s best features, it also eliminates as many distractions and negative aspects as possible.

While every home can benefit from staging, the amount of time, effort, and money you invest in the process depends on several factors.

• How bad is the place?  Step back and critically survey the property as a whole.  What would a buyer think about the property in its present state?
• Will the outcome be worth the effort invested?  A good indicator that you need to invest significant time and effort in staging is when competing properties show better than your home.
• Be the buyer.  Objectively access your home as if you were a buyer.  Drive up to your home, walk to the front door – take it all in.  Figure out what it will take to make this house fly off the market.  Do you have the time and resources to take the necessary steps?
• Does the house have curb appeal?  Does the entry way catch your eye, or is it overwhelming?
• Tour your home and take note of its best features – wonderful fireplace, grand staircase, manicured front garden.  Note any distractions such as furniture or decorations that steer your focus away from these features and onto themselves.
• Some distractions, both positive and negative, to be aware of when listing your home.  Pet odor is at the top of the list for negative. A display of nice china, beautiful artwork, and even rows of family photos are considered positive distractions.  These may add charm to the your home, but you want buyers to walk in and see it as their house.

A good rule of thumb to remember is that the way one lives in a home is very different from the way the home needs to look for showings.  Staging changes are a marketing tool to draw attention to the best features of your home.

Please contact me if you need help staging your home. Even if you don’t plan to sell, using someone’s services to stage your home may contribute much to your personal enjoyment living in your home!