Recently, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, I was asked to stage a vacant home for a member of our military serving in Afganistan. She chose some truly lovely finishes when she built the home, so staging with current color trends was a special treat for me. I took cues from the gorgeous stone fireplace, tonal variations of soft warm grays and festive sugar plum reds and purples.
This home was definitely doing everything right, but after looking for umpteen hours online and in person, buyers' heads are swimming.
Even in a vacant house features that you just know are going to stand out, don't.
Vacant homes have no soul. Keep in mind the buyer's overall experience when they walk through their short list of properties.
You're in a competition, and you're selling a lifestyle not just a home.
Notice how a vacant room falls flat.
Color commands attention.
Neutral walls are perfectly fine, however even a clean slate can be intimidating. People (buyers) are asked to imagine. Who has time to imagine when you're looking at 5, 10 or more homes in a day? They become a blur.
How can you keep them dreaming of yours?
Again, a lovely kitchen/dining area, but even with a window and the lights on, it still showed dark.
No doubt, a beautiful space. Anything buyers might dream about?
This vacant, open concept comes alive with color and textures that show how easy it is to live here.
Plenty of space, but uninspired. Wake up those buyers. They want to BE inspired to live in (buy) your house.
Beautifully veined marble counters, custom beadboard vanity, oil-rubbed bronze fixtures - these are upgrades that unless you're standing there with the buyer pointing them out may be overlooked.
This sugar plum of a vacant home did its job by showing clean and carefully updated. My guess is that it would have sold, eventually. Happily, we didn't have to wait.
This home inspired a buyer the same weekend it went on the market, and their offer was accepted on Monday. Short and sweet.
Ask your Realtor about how staging can benefit your vacated home. Or, find a local professional Home Staging Consultant in your area by checking the national Real Estate Staging Association's website, www.realestatestagingassociation.com.
Please consider how staging your vacant Colorado Springs home can sweeten and shorten your time on the market, leaving you dreaming about where your next home sweet home will be.
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