You followed every “How to Prepare Your Home for Sale” list you could find online. You watched an entire season of HGTV staging shows. You cleaned the yard, fixed the door, re-painted the trim, removed the personal photos, cleaned out the closets, listed the house, put the fresh flowers in place, and what is the problem? 

MY HOUSE IS GETTING SHOWINGS, WHY IS MY HOUSE NOT SELLING?

In new construction, we help Builders market their product to a targeted audience based on Buyer Types. Many of the same strategies are used for fine tuning or staging re-sale homes because understanding what your buyer is looking for is the key to making the right preparations.

Buyer types:

Baby Boomers – Gen X - Gen Y 

Ist Time Buyer – Move Up Buyer – Active Adult

Buyer Types are based on:

New England Home Staging®  tips for making sure that your house is going to resonate with your buyers and reflect their individuality:

• Know thy customer:  The Seller’s style and the Buyer’s style may not be a match. Do your homework on what your Buyer likes and stage to meet their preferences, not yours.
• Create a sense of arrival: Decorating the door or porch can be the Buyer’s first indication of whether or not the house says “Welcome” or “Hmmm, that’s not my style.” And with some Buyer Types, the curb appeal starts way before you reach the curb.
• Create a clear pattern of circulation for the Buyer to walk through the home.
• Highlight storage areas. Organize by Martha Stewart standards and the buyers will think you’ve taken care of the bigger things; the furnace, the roof, etc.
• Create a “wow” factor or special memorable space in the home: It’s important that this hits a “lifestyle” button for your Buyer Type; a way of life they want to attain.
• The Kitchen is a deal maker! : Before making expensive updates to your kitchen, get a professional opinion from your Realtor or Home Stager. Granite countertops are not always the likely buyer’s preference, and poor accessories can distract away from really great features. In an article “10 Things That Make Buyers Bite”, they show a photo of a beautiful kitchen but I can’t help but spend my time looking at the 6 ridiculous roosters on top of the cabinets instead of the new granite counters.
• Dare to be different: Every model home seems to have the 2008 chocolate brown and robin egg blue color scheme. Stage your home with forward thinking schemes that appeal to your Buyer Type. Keep big pieces neutral and use pops of color in the accessories that are easily changeable.

 Just like selling any product, how the product is packaged and marketed matters. The bottom line is, before investing money or time making preparations for selling your home, put the dollars into a professional home staging consultation or ask your Realtor to help understand who your Buyer likely will be and how can you make your home appeal to that segment. This will save you money, time in preparations, and most importantly; time on the market.  Happy Staging!!

Visit us online for more info. www.StagingNewEngland.com