Staging is the process of preparing any home for sale, regardless of price or location. When you place your home on the market for sale it becomes a product. Similar to a product on the shelf at your local store, the product has features and benefits as well as pluses and minuses, and competition.
Why should you Stage your home or listings? To compete with the competition in the marketplace you must be priced right and look better than the other products. Your home is no different, it is one of many homes for sale and you must present it to the buyers in the best possible light.
Home Staging has proven to help sell homes faster and/or for more money.
Before you show your home to any potential buyer be sure to go through your whole house with your agent to finish the Staging process. Meanwhile, here are some quick tips to help you start. Follow these general tips and your home will look better than the competition. Staged Homes sell faster and/or for more money!
INSIDE
Clear all unnecessary objects from furniture throughout the house. Keep decorative objects on the furniture restricted to groups of 1, 3, or 5 items. In general, a sparsely decorated home will help the buyer mentally 'move in' with their own things.
Rearrange or remove some of the furniture in your home, if necessary. Many times home owners have too much furniture in a room. When it comes to selling your home, thin out overcrowded rooms to make the rooms appear larger.
Clear all unnecessary objects from the kitchen countertops. If it hasn't been used for three months...put it away! Clear refrigerator fronts of messages, magnets, pictures, etc.
In the bathroom, remove any unnecessary items from the countertops, tub, shower stall and commode top. Keep only the most necessary cosmetics, brushes, perfumes, etc., in one small group on the counter. Coordinate towels in one or two colors only.
Take down, reduce, or rearrange pictures and objects on walls. Patch and paint all walls, if necessary.
Review the house interior, room by room, and:
- Paint any room needing paint.
- Clean carpet and drapes that need it.
Clean windows.
If you need room to store extra possessions use the garage or rent a storage unit.
Leave on certain lights during the day (your agent will show you which ones). During showings, turn on ALL lights and lamps.
Play light FM music every day in the house, for all viewings.
OUTSIDE
Go around the perimeter of the house and move all garbage cans, discarded wood scraps, extra building materials, etc., to the garage or, if applicable, take them to the dump.
Check gutters and roof for dry rot and moss. Make sure they are swept & cleaned.
Look at all plants. Plants are like children...they grow so fast. Prune bushes and trees. Keep plants from blocking windows: "You can't sell a house if you can't see it!"
Remove any dead plants, weed all planting areas and put down fresh mulching material.
Keep your lawn freshly cut, edged and fertilized during the growing season.
Clear patios or decks of all small items, such as little planters, flower pots, charcoal, barbeques, toys, etc.
Check the condition of the paint on your home, especially the trim and the front door. The first impression, or 'curb appeal,' is very important.
IN GENERAL
Try to look at your house "through a buyer's eyes," as though you've never seen it before. This exercise will help you see what needs to be done. Any time and money invested on these items will usually bring you the return of more money and a quicker sale.
For more information about buying or selling your home in Central Indiana, visit www.dawnwhalen.com
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