Real estate is a cutthroat market. That means in order to succeed in this competitive environment, you need to get a leg up on the competition. While your trusted real estate professional is key in marketing your home for sale, you can augment their efforts to maximize exposure, such as using a label maker to design a catchy ad you can either print out or share on social media. Also bear in mind that potential buyers are in search of their dream home, and statistics cited on The Close support that if you want to sell your home quickly at a great price, you’ll need to stage your home properly.
Right off the bat, the property needs to appeal to potential buyers visually, whether through promotional photos or an open house, in order to get buyers to view your home. Here are some effective staging techniques, brought to you by Realtor Raymond Maestas.
Say Goodbye to Clutter
Some argue that clutter makes a house a home. That’s all well and good until you try to sell said home—at which point you realize that clutter was probably sent by the universe to test your fortitude and zeal. Unfortunately, decluttering is the first and arguably most important part of staging a home. But fortunately, The Nest notes that it really does help sell it. You can also rent an affordable storage unit to give you some breathing room; that way, you can either reincorporate your old stuff down the road, or sell it when you have the time.
Because decluttering is best done systematically, it’s a good idea to do it room by room. This way, you can break down a huge undertaking into smaller tasks. For example:
● In living and family rooms, clear out the mail, magazines, displayed memorabilia, and the like.
● In the kitchen, put away cleaning implements like sponges and dish towels, clear counters of small appliances, and organize dishes and cutlery.
● In bedrooms, make the beds with neutral linens, keep surfaces clear of cosmetics and jewelry, and put away dirty laundry and worn clothing.
● In bathrooms, secure medicines, remove toiletries, and empty wastebaskets.
Dig Deep
As tempting as it might be to just stash things in drawers or closets and forget they existed, don’t do this. One of the things that buyers will look for in their dream home is space, and storage space is definitely included. In fact, open house visitors peek into closets, cabinets, and drawers, so these definitely need your attention.
When it comes to adding storage space to your closets, the goal is to reduce content by 50 percent. What’s left behind can then be organized neatly. This allows buyers to see that you’re not hiding things like unrepaired shelves, as well as imagine the potential of such spaces.
Encourage Visualization
Speaking of imagination, people are more likely to buy a home that they can see themselves in. This won’t happen if it’s full of family portraits or personal collections. Ditto if you have funky wallpaper or quirky furniture. In fact, these glaring personalizations might even hurt the chances of a sale as potential buyers have varied tastes and their own visions of how they want a home to look.
With that in mind, it’s important to depersonalize the property before taking photos or hosting an open house. The objective is to strike a balance between a warm and welcoming home and a completely blank canvas, so keep changes neutral to give buyers the opportunity to envision themselves and their own things in the space.
Set the Stage
With clutter safely packed away and personal touches removed, it’s time to put the finishing touches on staging your home. Spruce things up by giving the house a deep clean to remove off-putting smells, stains, and the like. Minor repairs may also be required, especially for cracks on the floors and walls, leaky faucets, loose handles, etc.
You may also need to move around or even remove furniture, especially if they don’t serve a real purpose. You’ll be surprised how simply shuffling things around not only creates space but also improves the look and feel of the house overall. Take a look at local real estate listings to see how other homeowners are staging their properties to sell. This can help you get an idea of what appeals to buyers and to see which staging strategies people are using.
If some of your furniture is looking a little rough, get in touch with local upholstery shops and schedule a cleaning for the pieces you want to use in your staging efforts. Use online service directories that provide customer ratings and reviews to ensure you’re hiring someone with a good reputation.
And don’t forget to look outside! Cut the grass, fix peeling paint, and put away garden gnomes to increase the property’s curb appeal. First impressions last, after all, and you really need to make a good one as buyers pull up the front door.
Remember that once upon a time, you fell in love with your home enough to buy it. After preparing it for the market, it’s time to sit back and let it do its magic.
Having been trained in the art of negotiation, Raymond Maestas of eXp Realty has earned the highly respected designation of Certified Negotiation Expert, which is held by the top 1% of agents nationwide. Reach out to Ray today! 510-932-2964
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