Staging for Success

Selling a home isn’t just about transferring ownership and signing a bunch of paperwork. It’s about selling your home. Before anyone will buy your house, they obviously have to see the space. But more importantly, they have to be able to see themselves in the space. Home staging is a great way to not only make a positive first impression, but to help prospective home buyers visualize the potential of the various houses or condos for sale that they view. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

• The Basics. It should go without saying that you need to clean your home thoroughly before showing it to prospective buyers, but a surprising number of people neglect this step, or do a half-hearted job, expecting the virtue of the space to shine through. But top-to-bottom cleaning and deodorizing can start any home tour off on the right foot, and put buyers at ease right when they step through the door. A fresh coat of neutral paint is also a worthwhile investment, and don’t forget to tidy up the exterior as well.
• Get Out of the Way. Staging houses or condos for sale is all about making it easy for buyers visualize themselves in the space. Pictures of your own family, no matter how adorable and endearing, will hinder that effort. You’re going to be packing everything anyway, so make sure the first things that get boxed up are any personal items that might detract from a buyer’s visualization process. Invest in a self-storage space to keep all areas clear, including basements and garages, so buyers can imagine what they will, rather than having to “see past” your things.
• Get a Second Opinion. If you’re staging your home yourself, be sure to bring in a pair of fresh eyes now and then, especially if you’ve lived in your home for a long time. The longer we stay in one place, the more we infuse that space with our own style and personality, and it can be difficult to “un-see” those little touches that might not benefit the staging process. A fresh perspective (a friend, a co-worker, a neighbor, etc.) can help you tweak the staging to let the space truly speak for itself.

Personal tastes in interior design will only go so far when selling your home. The most successful buying and selling experiences are the ones where buyers can really get a sense of how they might fit into a new home. So take a tip from professional stagers when they work their magic on homes or condos for sale – keep it clean, keep it neutral, and keep it neat. See this reference for more.