Ok I will admit that when I started in Real Estate fifteen years ago I was a bit skeptical about "Staging" I was trained by two very experienced agents who believed that people buy houses for that intangible element and emotionally. Staging was not needed beyond what we brokers did. Clear the clutter! Move a chair boil cinnamon. On some levels I still believe but am becoming a convert. There are houses that need to be staged to show off their true value and there are buyers who just can't visualize what the house could be. Sometimes a husband can visualize but the wife can't and sometimes the other way around. There are a few things that I think can be advised before a professional stager is brought in, but to get the entire picture correct a staging consultation is invaluable. I might also add that at one point I had a listing that was owner by a professional decorator and you would think that they wouldn't need their home staged, wrong! The house was over decorated, too much furniture and too much stuff. The rooms looked smallish. Try telling a professional decorator that their home needs a stager, yikes. Some simple things that can be done:
1. Remove all personal pictures and clear counters in the kitchen, clear all surfaces so that buyers don't get distracted. We want them to look at the house, not your 50th Wedding Anniversary pictures.
2. Make sure that curtains are not blocking the light coming in from the outside.
3. Remove old, worn carpets or at the least have them cleaned.
4. Paint areas that need it.
5. Missing or loose door knobs, broken towel racks, loose tile, fix them all.
Just to mention a few. Common sense can also play a role in how to present your house.
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