Highlands Ranch Real Estate : Tuesday Tips : Staging Your Home to Sell
Continuing our Tuesday Tips blog posts, this week we're going to talk about the benefits of staging your home to sell. Inman News printed an article by Dian Hymer titled, 3 Tips for Staging Your Home to Sell, highlights of which follows along with our take on the topic.
Today's buyers are looking for turnkey homes. That is, they want to move right in without having to do a lot of work. Buyers with busy lifestyles pay a premium for listings that are in prime condition. Staging can make the difference between a listing selling or not, the time it takes to sell and the ultimate sale price.
Sellers who are financially strapped often have a hard time accepting that they'll need to invest in preparing a house for sale even though they may sell for less than they paid. Fix-up costs can mount up; your agent can help you prioritize so that you don't waste money. It's important to keep your goal in mind, which is to sell your house in a difficult market.
We absolutely see this everyday in the Highlands Ranch real estate market. The homes in what Kathy and I call 
"showing condition," are the ones selling. When interviewing with a potential listing client, we will always make recommendations about what updates would make their home more competitive in this market, some listen, some need to experience their home being on the market and not selling before they're ready to make those changes.
Although listings staged by a good decorator show well and often sell quickly, you don't need to spend a lot to put your home into shape for marketing. Most homeowners have too many personal possessions in their home from a sale standpoint. De-cluttering is something most sellers need to do.
Your agent or stager, may ask you to put away collections of art, personal photos, etc. This can be difficult for most sellers because, for them, it's part of the emotional appeal of their home. Your house won't look like your home after you've removed personal possessions and moved what's left around to display the house to his best advantage.
If you're ready to sell, you need to begin transitioning from thinking of your house as a home and begin thinking of it as a product that is for sale. This is also a very good time to put on your "buyer's hat" and look through your home with a critical eye. But keep in mind, if you have done your job well and prepared your home for sale, you may sell quickly, close on your home and move on to the next phase of your life which may of course include your next home with all of your most valued and loved possessions once again surrounding you.
That's the point of the preparation process. You don't want prospective buyers focusing in on your personal property; you want them to focus on the house. Keep in mind that how you live in your home and how it should look when it goes on the market are not the same.
Some sellers complain that their house looks too stark without all their possessions. Even so, it helps you to detach yourself emotionally from the property. Also, less personal property usually gives homes a more spacious feel. When buyers are looking for the most for their money, bigger is usually better.
To close the deal, a listing should be spotless and inviting. If you can't pull this together yourself, or with the help of our agent, hire a good stager for a consultation or a proposal for full or partial staging.
So, to best prepare your home for sale: Update, De-Clutter and Clean! Also, call SampronSisters of Home Real Estate, we'll be there to make recommendations for selling in Highlands Ranch. Carrie (303) 931-3629 or Kathy (303) 931-3780, we'll also prepare for you a complimentary market analysis for your home so you'll be armed with its potential value when preparing for sale.
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