It's getting cooler - and it's not just the weather

We are officially in the Fall Housing Market. As the weather cools, so does the market. But properties that are well packaged and marketed will sell in any market - here's how:

How Staging can help sell a property in a cool housing market

In slower markets, there is more competition, and you will need to work harder to gain a competitive advantage with other properties. Below are the  4 “Big D’s” – staging “Dos” for every property:

De-clutter

The single greatest improvement that the seller can make in preparing their property for sale is to eliminate clutter. All counters and tables should be clear of papers, junk mail and old magazines. In living areas, accessories should be  kept to a minimum. Collections and bric-brac should be packed up and stored.

All cabinets and closets should be cleaned out and organized, as buyers are sure to look in these areas. In the bathroom, placing personal items in baskets under the sink is a great way to convey a clean and organized space.

De-Personalize

It is important that a property warm and inviting, but you don't want buyers seeing YOU living there, you want them seeing THEM living there. Personal pictures should be packed away. This allows the buyer to visualize the property as their home, instead of being distracted by the your memories.

Depersonalizing an interior also extends to a seller’s personal design style. Decorating a home to live in and merchandising a property to sell are two different things. The key to effectively merchandising a property to sell is to create an interior that is neutral and appealing to a wide variety of buyers. It may be necessary to temporarily replace furnishings and change paint colors to accomplish this.

Deal with Deferred Maintenance

If you can see it, the buyer will too. Maintenance issues that are visible to buyers will trigger them to think “ if these are issues that I can see, what are the issues that I can’t see?” Addressing all maintenance issues, even small ones, will give buyers the impression that the property has been well cared for, and will give them less to object to.

Deep Clean

Consider this “detailing” the property. Most people would not consider putting their car up for sale without first detailing the interior and exterior, making sure that it shines so that they can get top dollar.  Unfortunately, many sellers do not put this kind of attention into selling their most valuable asset, their home.

And, a fifth tip:

Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Help

Engaging a professional stager, whether for a few hours for a consultation, or to completely redo your property, is well worth the investment. This will put money in your pocket. Using the house vs. car analogy- if you are serious about selling you car, you would have it professionally detailed, wouldn't you?

If you are in the Chicago Metro Area, New View Staging & Redesign is a staging company specializing in owner-occupied properties. We offer a wide variety of staging services.

Please visit our website newviewstaging.com for more information and to view a portfolio of our work.

Contact Info

847.658-9249

info@newviewstaging.com