Home Staging Tips for Savvy Sellers
Savvy sellers will often put themselves in the shoes of potential buyers to see their own home through new eyes. Often this means seeing staging their home accordingly. There are plenty of tips and tricks in home staging but savvy sellers know it goes beyond putting fresh flowers on the dining room table and opening up the curtains to let natural light in. Staging a home should make a prospective buyer feel a certain way and trigger positive emotions.
Here are several ways to view home staging along with some tips for staging that delivers the desired results.
First Impressions
Savvy sellers understand the critical importance of first impressions. They know that the very first impression opportunity is right at the front door. It is worthwhile to stand at the entrance to the home, door wide open, looking into the home with fresh eyes to see what a home buyer may see. This point of view should carry on through the entrance and into your home. What are they likely to see? What is the unmistakable focus of what they’ll experience and is it a positive one? Give those first thirty seconds some serious thought and take steps to make it a positive experience. It is why many real estate professionals will suggest the painting the front door or even purchasing a new one. And perhaps adding potted plants near the entrance way. And as you enter the home, is it light and bright? Or dark and cave-like? First impressions are important in building new relationships and important in selling homes.
The Value of Outside Input
Taking stock of our home’s appearance can be a bit like looking for the forest through the trees. We have seen the rooms in our own homes hundreds, if not thousands of times. Of course, any cleaning or improvement we do is going to look better to us. The question is whether it will inspire a prospective buyer to put in an offer to buy the home. Savvy sellers know the key to overcoming owner blindness is by having a pair or two of fresh eyes give it a look. Ideally, this should be someone who is not too familiar with your home and will be honest in their appraisal. Agents are great for this but so can a co-worker or trusted neighbor. Have them go room by room as a buyer would. Ask them open questions about how they experienced the home. How did the various rooms make them feel? What challenges did they see? Did the home “feel” fresh and welcoming?
The Value of Space
More than anything, most potential home buyers are really buying living and storage space. The spaces then must feel ample enough to accommodate the needs of the potential buyer. This idea of ‘plenty of space’ is hard to convey when drawers are jammed, closets are overflowing and cupboards are stuffed. This theory holds true in every aspect of your home. Keep tabletops and countertops neat. Walls should be uncluttered and garages tidied up. Take a look outside as well. Savvy sellers know they, to a great degree, are selling space and will stage their home accordingly.
Use all Your Senses
Savvy sellers know that buyers use all of their senses when experiencing a home. This means not just their eyes but their sense of smell and sound. They’ll note, consciously or not, about the room temperature. Is the air fresh smelling or is it stuffy? Is there the odor of last night’s dinner in the air? Can you tell if there are pets in the home? Many prospective buyers will be lured to tour your home by images but it will be their overall experience and all of their senses that will contribute to their buying decision.
Professional real estate agents are certainly good allies in helping stage your home. They, after all, have a vested interest in your successful sale. If you keep in mind the value of first impressions, get outside feedback, understand how important open space is and use all your senses when staging your home, you too, will become a savvy seller.
Written by Anthony Gilbert is the owner of The RealFX Group.
Photos courtesy of:
Phoenix Urban Spaces
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