If you’re considering selling your home, it goes without saying that you want the best price for it; and that’s where staging your home provides you with an advantage over the competition.
The purpose of staging your home is to differentiate it from other homes which compete against yours as a product in the property sales market.
When staging your home, consider what will enable potential purchasers to more easily be able to imagine themselves and their families, living in the home. This requires a degree of mental and emotional transition for the current home-owner, because to be successful, you must first de-personalise and de-clutter the home so that buyers can appreciate its appeal, and develop an emotional attachment with the home which will induce them to make an outstanding offer.
First, ask someone who doesn’t live with you, to walk through your home and identify issues which are obvious to them.
Experts agree that vendors who are serious about selling their home for the best price, should pack remove and store all unnecessary personal effects and furnishings, including taking family pictures down from walls.
The first impression created by the outside appearance of your home, lawns and yard is just as important as ensuring the inside of your home is decluttered, and sparkling clean. Experts recommend water-blasting exterior walls, mowing lawns, trimming hedges, ensuring pathways are clear and outside implements are put away, and making sure that the street number of your house is visible.
Suggestions for improving the appearance of the interior of your home include, freshening and deodorising, repainting and completing minor repairs, replacing light bulbs with higher wattage bulbs, replacing light switches with new covers, cleaning and steaming carpets, clearing countertops and benches, and considering hiring a professional cleaning company to ensure your home is immaculate, so that it appeals to even the most fastidious buyer.
In the living areas, install vases of fresh flowers or bowls of seasonal fruit to make the home vibrant and inviting. Strategically place furniture to make the rooms look larger, paint doors with white paint to provide a clean and contemporary appearance, and ensure each room is neutral but its function is distinctly identified so the buyer can imagine a use for it with their own family.
Small or awkward spaces can be transformed into unique and memorable reading areas or study nooks. All closets or storage space should be accentuated, as having plenty of storage space ranks high on buyers wish-lists.
In the kitchen, bake cookies just prior to each viewing, or boil a pot of cinnamon sticks to create a homely and inviting aroma. Percolated coffee or baked bread are other alternatives which can add a sense of comfort, warmth and hospitality to your home, and most importantly, differentiate it favourably from other contenders.
In the bedrooms, make beds with luxurious silky linens in warm inviting colours. In bathrooms, roll up towels, light scented candles, and strategically position decorated baskets for maximum effect.
Home staging need not be particularly expensive, and the advantages it provides have been proven to command a much better price. With a little planning and effort, you can stage your home so that it stands out from the rest, and gets you the price you deserve.
