Staging Secrets

There is no question that staging sells homes.  Your best option would be to hire a stager, which can be not only inexpensive, but also pay off huge in the long run.  If you can't, here are a few tips to stay ahead of the home down the street you're competing with.

1.  Remove the Photos

As buyers are walking through your home, the ONLY thing you want them to feel is themselves in your space.  It's difficult for potential buyers to do this when they're looking at an entire wall of your annual ski trip to Vail.  Use nature prints as a sure-shot.  If you're on a budget, buy a few photographic calendars.  Replace the personal photos you have in your frames with the nature photos from the calendars, and you'll have a neutral look without having a blank wall.

2.  Accentuate the Positives

What do you like best about your home?  In most cases, it's the thing that pushed you to purchase it in the first place.  Accentuate those areas to make potential buyers linger in those spaces to make sure they're truly soaking it all in.

3.  Ditch the Extras

I'm sure the kitten laying at the foot of your porch door to keep the drafts out is cute - but not everybody will think so.  Get an early start on packing, take your extra items (which include any items you don't use on a regular basis) and box them up!  Also avoid politically- or socially-charged material.  You don't want a buyer to walk away simply because they disagree with your views.

4.  Paint.  Paint.  Paint.

Your daughter has absolutely loved her neon pink walls for the last few years - I have no doubt.  It's time for a change.  You want potential home buyers to see your house with as little extra work as possible, so help them out.  All colors should remain neutral.  Paint will always be a good investment when trying to sell a home, so utilize yours with a color scheme that is not only comfortable for YOU for a few months, but also appealing to would-be buyers.

5.  Go Away.

As an agent, there is probably nothing more uncomfortable than walking through a home with buyers while the sellers are sitting in the family room.  In fact, I showed a home to some buyers where there were two small (and energetic) children running around.  When I say "running around," I mean the type of young boys that come behind you from out of nowhere and punch you in the leg.  My buyers, who were newlyweds that had obviously not thought about starting a family yet, asked me if we could go...immediately.  Typically, clients take about 20-30 minutes to tour a single home, so do yourself a favor and make yourself scarce.  Nobody can imagine relaxing in their new family room with the noise of you and yours.