Get Ready To Raise The Curtain When Selling

Get ready to raise the curtain

Both homeowners and real estate agents are best served when a home sells quickly for a good price. There are many steps both parties can take to achieve that goal, and a recent trend is proving its value - whether the local market is hot or cool, statistics reveal that a staged home will sell faster and for a higher price.

This service is called staging because it's basically about theater. A professional stager assesses your home's strongest and weakest features and creates a series of "scenes" sure to appeal to your audience of buyers.

There are four major areas of concern: cleanliness, openness, color and ... compromise.

Cleaning your home seems obvious, but we're talking about the white-glove treatment here - on every surface. Openness means a decided lack of clutter as well as arranging (or removing) furnishings to impart a sense of space.

The colors in your home and on its walls also convey this idea. Dark colors make a room seem smaller and light colors make it seem bigger. You get the idea.

But what about that compromise part? It simply means that we all understand that lack of time or budget makes it necessary to focus on those improvements that will have the biggest impact and not sweat every little detail. Ask your agent for guidance and trust his or her instincts.

Larry Weichman is president/broker for Costa Mesa-based Weichman Realtors. Direct your questions to Larry@WeichmanRealtors.com or call 714-444-4663.