Setting the Stage for Home Selling Success
When selling a home, the goal is to be able to sell the property for both the highest profit margin and in the most expedient time frame possible. Many of us have heard horror stories from friends and co-workers regarding homes for sale that have lingered for months and even years on the market. The ability to sell your home quickly can translate into extra cash in your pocket and fewer headaches. For anyone in the process of selling a home, knowing how to set the stage for your house to sell quickly and profitably is important. Taking the extra time to ensure your home appeals to buyers is a smart money move that can pay big dividends in the long run.
Staging Your Home
Staging your home is the process of decorating the various indoor as well as outdoor spaces in order to appeal to buyers. The main idea behind staging is to accentuate for prospective buyers the positive qualities your home possesses. Staging can also mean taking less useful or attractive features of a home, and showing how they can be used for the buyer’s benefit, such as using light-colored paint and minimal furnishings to make smaller rooms appear larger. While not every seller stages their home for sale, the ones who do see a larger profit. According to the renovation and decorating gurus at Home and Garden Television (HGTV), easy home staging tips that can make a big impact include:
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Packing up unnecessary items before showing your home. That old recliner or the chipped china can be put in a box and stored away, along with any trinket or souvenir collections. Create space and show off your home’s square footage by eliminating excess clutter.
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Cleaning out closets so that you can show off the storage space your home has, a feature buyers always appreciate.
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Cleaning carpets, and sending pets off to stay with a neighbor or friend. Pet odors may turn buyers off to the degree that they will not notice any of your home’s actual selling points.
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Creating a single purpose in each room. Get rid of the desk in the dining room, remove the high chair and toys from the living room, and take exercise equipment from your bedroom to the basement. Aim for a sleek, streamlined look.
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Showing off the light your home gets by opening draperies and blinds. Remove any furniture that blocks windows and eliminate clutter from window sills. Make sure all windows are squeaky clean.
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Paying special attention to making sure bathrooms are clean. Add a new shower curtain and consider replacing your old bathroom vanity with a pedestal sink.
If you have already moved all your furnishings to your new residence, you can always hire a professional home stager. Home stagers bring in furniture and decorative items such as pillows and fresh flowers to create an appealing space in which buyers can envision themselves living.
Benefits of Staging Your Home
According to the International Association of Home Staging Professionals (ASP), sellers who take the time to stage their home and showcase their homes’ positive selling attributes stand a greater chance of selling their home within the first 11 days it is listed. In addition to selling fast, the ASP cited statistics showing that staged homes often sell for more, as much as 17 percent more than homes that are not staged. Any investment you make in your updating your home, whether it is large or small, will likely to pay off handsomely when it comes time to sell.
Contact Our Experienced Real Estate Attorneys
When selling a home, every detail is important. At Cavallo & Cavallo, our experienced New York real estate attorneys can help guide you through every step of selling your home, as well as buying a new one. Reach out to us today to begin the process of selling your house.
