THE HONEST BROKER: STAGING YOUR HOME
Can a seller improve the probability of selling their home with what is called “staging”?
The answer is wholeheartedly,…yes!! Staging a home for sale involves any or all of these things; rearranging furniture, decluttering the home, improving curb appeal, and even adding decorative items to the home to give it a more “designer” look. This is beneficial for homes that are either occupied or vacant. Let’s face it; the average home has that “lived” in look and it should. However, when selling, the house should look like something close to what you would see in a design magazine because that is the look that will appeal to the buyers.
There is a natural accumulation that occurs of bric-a-brac, photos, and clutter throughout the years of home ownership. Although this is a natural and normal phenomenon, it is not conducive to showing the home in its best “light”. For example, if the clutter remains, a poor arrangement of furniture exists, or even perhaps, an over furnished home exists, the house looks smaller than it should. It is important to “open up” or show the natural size of the home. In this instance, bigger is always better. So, the first point of order is to REDUCE the clutter, pack away all the excessive bric-a-brac, photos and even remove pieces of non-essential furniture pieces.
Second, take the remaining items and furniture and strategically place them to, in effective, increase the room sizes. Adding a floral arrangement or designer type accent piece may also prove helpful. To accomplish this, the seller can seek the aid of a person who stages homes or rely on the help of their experienced realtor to give the guidance they need.
Let’s move on the outside of the home….the curb appeal.
What is the first impression that the buyer gets of the home as they drive up to it? Will the comments be positive or negative? Is the grass green or brown, well- manicured or overgrown? Does the home have a freshly painted look or does it look like it has been neglected for years? Here are a few hints for the outside.
If you don’t want to paint the entire house, how about touch up the areas that sorely need to be addressed? Perhaps spend some time or hire a landscape company to cut and edge the lawn and possibly add a few colorful plants along with mulch. If there is a pool, screen room or backyard area, they should be kept clean and also staged for “invitation” of a potential buyers desire to entertain. With even a small amount of investment, the return will be well worth it in the sale of the home.
Diane Lott, Broker
Paradise Found Realty, Inc. of Palm City
website: www.ParadiseFoundRealtyFl.com
Email: diane@paradisefoundrealtyfl.com
Phone: 954-294-5060
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