With buyers increasingly starting their home search online, your marketing efforts are actually reaching them all over the world.
From the outset, buyers want to see pictures of your home. If one room of your home is messy in any way, it’ll be reflected in the picture online, and buyers have a low tolerance for clutter. Your Realtor will help you position your property with professional photography so that your home is highlighted in its best possible light.
Your Realtor may use a staging service or they may conduct the staging on their own by way of drone footage or virtual staging.
Ultimately, the goal is to have a marketing plan and professional photography is an incredibly important way for buyers from all over the world, and who are looking in your area, to see your home.
If you have any questions about professional photography or these types of services, don’t hesitate to be in touch. I’d be happy to help!
Help your home show better with quick fixes while you wait for the next showing…
Even though you want to sell your home so you can move into your new home, it can be hard to show your home while you’re still living there. Hearing others’ opinions of your home is stressful, especially because you have memories, emotions, and feelings tied to the house. There’s no telling how many times your house will be shown, either. Some properties go through one showing, and others have many. While you’re waiting for your home to sell or the next showing, there are some quick fixes you can make to help your home show better.
Depersonalize Your Home to Help it Show Better
It’s hard to encourage someone to take away their personal items, even if they’re listing their home for sale. But it truly is important to detach yourself from your home, and from thinking about it as your home. Family photos, monograms, and even certain decorations do need to go. With your personal things on display, it’s hard for potential buyers to see themselves in the house.
Your realtor or real estate professional of choice may be hesitant to remind you of this, but depersonalizing your home truly is critical.
Update Your Lighting to Help Your Home Show in a Better Light
Burnt out bulbs, dirty windows, and dim lighting can detract from your home. Not everyone likes soft white lights in the bedroom, or funky colored bulbs attached in a bonus room. Adding brighter bulbs (or even energy efficient ones) will improve the way your home shows, that’s for sure.
While you’re at it, why not clean the windows? You’d be amazed at what builds up on them. You can also check for broken window seals, too. Having checked your lighting, you’ll know where potential buyers might make a note of issues in the house.
Natural lighting will also show your home in a way that helps bring out your home’s strengths.
Organize, Organize, Organize
You never know what a buyer is going to want to see in your home during a showing. They may open closets, cabinets, or drawers to check out the storage space. You don’t want them to find dirt, belongings, or otherwise that might take away from their opinion of the house.
You’re moving anyway, so why not take this time to pare down your belongings? Getting rid of junk, memorabilia, and generic stuff will not only make your move easier; paring down will help buyers get a genuine feel for the home and be able to see themselves in it easier.
Boost Your Curb Appeal to Make a Great First Impression When There’s a Showing
First impressions are important. It’s hard to stress that enough! But what is the first impression of your home saying to potential buyers?
Quick fixes can help your home show better, however if you need to focus and funnel money into a certain area, outside is the way to go. When a potential buyer sees the home for the first time, they may fall in love with it before they even head inside. Taking a chance on presenting your home without great curb appeal can sabotage the potential of a sale.
Real Estate Experts
One of the best ways to show your home in the best light is to have it properly staged by your favorite real estate professional. At Real Estate Experts, we have great experience staging homes and if it’s necessary, we’ll bring in an outsider to help us spruce up a home for an excellent showing. We’d love to help you show your home home in the best light. What’s more? We have a great list of inexpensive home staging tips.
Visit RealEstateExperts.net to learn how we integrate home staging and now, virtual staging, into our listings. If you’re interested in staging your home, don’t hesitate to reach out. Give us a call at 919-813-6449or send us an email to [email protected]to find out more about living in the Triangle, and visit our website to view current homes for sale in the area.
There’s no doubt that staging your home prior to placing it on the market is crucial if you want to earn top dollar. But must you spend “top dollar” during the home staging process? Not necessarily. There are many ways you can spruce up your dwelling without breaking the bank. Here are some excellent home staging tips.
Outdoor Home Staging Tips
Remove all cobwebs, dust, and dirt from front porch and surrounding areas.
Replace the door handle, knocker, and/or doorbell if they are looking old and tarnished.
Clean all outdoor lights and replace bulbs, if needed.
Place a couple of pretty flowering plants by your front porch or door.
Trim all the bushes and remove weeds.
Clean all the interior and exterior windows (make it a family affair)!
Entryway Home Staging Tips
Keep the foyer clear of items like coat racks and clutter.
Buy a pretty new rug for the foyer (Target has some great inexpensive choices).
Repaint walls near entryway.
Image courtesy of atticmag.com.
Living Area Home Staging Tips
Remove all family photos.
Ditto for knick-knacks, mementos, and souvenirs.
Remove half your clothing from all closets (to give the appearance of plenty of storage space).
Consider packing each room by 30% to give the appearance of more space.
Think about rearranging furniture to create a better flow and the appearance of more space (pick up a feng shu book from the library for help with this).
Host a painting party! Invite your friends to help you paint the interior of your home in a neutral color, and provide pizza and beer afterward.
Have carpets professionally cleaned, or rent a steam cleaner and do it yourself. Cover unsightly stains with throw rugs.
Make sure window treatments are clean and functional.
Replace all your home’s lightbulbs with at least 100 watt bulbs…people love light!
Speaking of light, clean all light fixtures so they sparkle and shine.
Clean all light switch plates, and replace cracked or outdated plates.
Image courtesy of homedesign2sell.com.
Kitchen Home Staging Tips
Remove all appliances from kitchen countertops.
Clean out and declutter inside kitchen cabinets.
Consider repainting kitchen cabinets if they are looking old and outdated.
Replace pendant lights for a fresh, updated look.
Set the kitchen and/or dining table with pretty linens, silverware, and flowers.
Don’t cook any smelly foods, like bacon or fish. Those smells tend to linger around.
Photo courtesy of stagemyownhome.com.
Bathroom Home Staging Tips
Replace any old shower curtains.
Recaulk where necessary.
Place pretty new rugs and towels in bathrooms.
Add fresh flowers and/or scented candles.
Image courtesy of realestatestagingassociation.com.
At Real Estate Experts, we put a tremendous amount of weight on home staging. Visit RealEstateExperts.net to learn how we integrate home staging and now, virtual staging, into our listings.
We covered the basics of staging your home in our last post and inexpensive home staging tips a few posts back; today, we will look at how to make a smaller home look larger, or at least as big as it is. There’s nothing more uncomfortable for buyers than walking through a crowded, cluttered residence. Potential buyers are looking for light, space, and an open feel.
Staging Your Home
Here are some tips to create this type of environment in your home:
Clear out the clutter. Lots of smaller items, like decorative figurines displayed on every horizontal surface, eat up visual space. Only display three to five items at a time. Store, sell or pack up the rest.
Display fewer pieces of furniture. Its better to have one larger dresser than two smaller ones. You can put the extra pieces in storage.
Use appropriately-sized furniture. Having a huge, oversize sofa in a small living room will call attention to how small the room really is.
Pull furniture away from the wall. This trick will create a sense of greater space. Design a cozy sitting area in front of the fireplace or television, with room to move around the back of the furniture.
Cooler colors recede. If you have a small room, paint it a pale blue, green, or gray to make it feel larger.
To make your home appear larger on the outside, paint it a lighter color. Houses appear larger on the outside when painted a lighter color.
Place the bed on the wall furthest from the door. Voila! The room will feel instantly larger.
Show more hardwood. The larger the expanse of hardwood floor, the larger the room will appear. Do you really need that area rug?
Try using one larger area rug instead of several smaller rugs. Or if the room looks good without them, don’t use any rugs.
Patterned upholstery and drapes make a room feel smaller. Use fewer patterns on upholstery and bedding. Use a solid color blanket or bedspread on a bed in a small bedroom to make the room feel larger.
Strategically placed mirrors make a room feel larger. Reflect a window or outdoor view. You can also visually expand a space by putting a large mirror over a sofa.
A well-lit room feels larger. Make sure every overhead light and table lamp is lit, and window shades and blinds are fully opened, before open houses and showings. Clean your windows and screens so they let in maximum light and sparkle.
Minimize window treatments. The simpler the better. Shutters, blinds, or simple drapes (no flounces, ruffles, or complicated valences) take up less “visual space.”
Make all your cabinets and closets half-empty. This tip makes it appear you have more closet and cabinet space.
Clean houses feel larger. Make sure all surfaces, including your floors, are shiny clean.
Remember, staged homes sell 90% faster, according to the most recent statistics released by the Real Estate Staging Association. It is well worth putting in the time and effort beforehand to ensure your home will sell quickly and at top-dollar.
To hear firsthand from our clients about the power of staging your home. For more information about preparing to sell your home and more tips and insight into staging, contact us anytime at 919-813-6449or [email protected]. Visit us online at realestateexperts.net.
Now that you know the importance of staging your home before you sell, it’s time for home staging ideas by walking through your home room by room with a critical eye. You will want to put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and view the room through their eyes. Rooms need to be depersonalized yet decorated, clean, and uncluttered.
Home Staging Ideas
Kitchens and Bathrooms
Kitchens and bathrooms sell homes. Buyers will pay special attention to these areas. It is so important to be sure these rooms are in the best condition possible.
Kitchens and bathrooms must be immaculate.
Update appliances, if possible.
Check all the doors and cabinets to make sure they open smoothly. Repair if needed.
Tighten doorknobs.
Re-caulk or re-grout showers, tubs, and sinks.
Touch-up cabinet paint in bathroom and kitchen.
Consider upgrading bathroom mirrors.
Replace missing or broken tiles.
Replace the garbage disposal, if needed.
Air out and clean inside of cabinets and under sinks.
Have countertops tidy with no clutter.
Wipe down appliances so they shine.
Bedrooms
Make all beds.
Pick up and put away all clothes.
Make sure dresser tops are clean and tidy.
Put away jewelry.
Hide any personal items.
Remove family photos.
Add some fresh flowers.
Living Room/Family Room/Office
Make sure rooms are clean and tidy.
Remove all knick-knacks, supplies, notepads, cords, etc.
Remove family photos.
Remove pet beds, toys, etc.
Put away magazines.
Put the remote controls out of sight.
Turn off computers.
Hide any documents with identifying information.
Outdoors
Curb appeal is the first “drive-up” impression for buyers.
Maintain a regular watering, mowing, edging, and weeding schedule.
Remove any dead plants and replace with seasonal colorful plants, when appropriate.
Add fresh mulch to all beds.
Remove lawn décor and equipment.
Make sure front porch/entryway is clean and inviting.
Make sure trees or bushes don’t touch people as they walk up to the front door.
Make sure sprinklers are working.
Repaint front door, if needed.
Power-wash the outside of the house.
Make sure the porch lighting is working and free of cobwebs and spiders.
Use outdoor furniture to create inviting spaces.
The same rules apply to back yard.
All Areas
Be sure to repair or replace any of the following issues in all areas of your home:
Worn carpets
Broken light switches
Loose door knobs
Leaky faucets
Running toilets
Sticky locks
Slow drains
Broken garbage disposal
Cracks, holes in walls
Broken screen doors
Clogged shower heads
Ripped window screens
Sticky windows
Cabinet door knobs
Some of the most important things you can do to prepare your home for sale are quick and easy. Buyers look at everything! They truly imagine themselves living in your property. Paying special attention to these areas will give your property noticeable results.
To hear firsthand from our clients about the power of staging your home, click here. For more information about preparing to sell your home and more home staging tips and insight into staging, contact us anytime at 919-813-6449or [email protected]. Visit us online at realestateexperts.net.
If you are thinking of selling your home, you will want to ensure that you “stage” your home to showcase its true potential, both for yourself and potential buyers. Whether you decide to hire a professional home stager or do it yourself, home staging is a crucial step in the home selling process. Professionally staged homes present and show better than competing houses for sale, including new construction homes and higher-priced houses.
What is Home Staging?
Home staging is the act of preparing and showcasing a property for sale. It is a systematic and coordinated methodology in which knowledge of real estate, home renovations, and creative design principles are applied to attract buyers. Preparing property involves all or part of cleaning, de-cluttering, updating, and repairing, while showcasing is the process of arranging furniture, accessories, art, and light.
Professional stagers recommend repairs and upgrades that are needed to get the property in market-ready condition. Buyers often do not have the funds to purchase a home and pay more money to address repairs, painting, etc. Buyers realize and appreciate the benefits of purchasing a professionally staged property.
Image courtesy of houseplans.com.
In most cases, staged properties sell faster when compared with houses that have not been staged. From the date of listing until the day of closing, home staging shortens this time frame, even in a slow real estate market. You will want to have photos of your staged home taken before putting it on the market, because photos of professionally staged listings look better on the MLS, as well as in print. There is no doubt that these listings will stand out in prospective buyers’ minds. You can expect more showings, because buyers’ agents recognize that professionally staged listings are “move-in ready” and are inclined to show staged properties. At showings, buyers view professionally staged listings as newer and well-maintained. Staged properties can increase the number of offers and selling price in hot markets…you may even find yourself with competing offers in today’s market!
Image courtesy of houseplans.com.
But don’t take our word for it! The Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) has done the research. RESA studied 63 homes that were previously on the market not staged. These 63 homes sat on the market, on average, for 143 days before the homeowners gave up and called in a professional home stager. Those same homes were staged and received their first offer, on average, 40 days after being professionally staged. This is 72% less time on the market! RESA studied 481 homes that were staged before they went on the market. These homes, on average, received their first offer in 23 days after being professionally staged. Bottom line—sellers are better off staging first and then having their home listed as they will sell 87% faster than they would if they listed first and then staged.
To hear firsthand from our clients about the power of staging your home, click here. For more information about preparing to sell your home and more tips and insight into staging, contact us anytime at 919-813-6449or [email protected]. Visit us online at realestateexperts.net.
There’s no doubt that 
