Chances are if your house isn’t selling it doesn’t always have to do with the all of “those” people who simply refuse to recognize its beauty. Don’t be quick to take offense I’m not saying your house isn’t beautiful, because of course it is… but you might be able to acquire a couple of tricks that could make your house even more beautiful.
Ok, honestly, if your house is on the market you have probably already come across the idea of staging your home. However, did you know that home staging costs LESS than your first price reduction? Usually by about Ten percent! You can even do it yourself for about 250.00 with a consultation and report. Even the ASP (Accredited Staging Professional) stats show that the average home sells in 182 days as opposed to a staged home which will sell on average in 37 days.
Now when I say the words staging, inexpensive, do it yourself, you might think I mean decorating. I do not. I repeat I do NOT mean decorating. Decorating is when you love your home so much that you want to make it look like you love it. Decorating is emotional and personal. Staging on the other hand takes away that emotional element. You might have the false belief that a buyer will appreciate your little tokens of love scattered through out your home. They will not. What the buyer will see is a house which is yours not theirs, a cluttered home, not a future investment. You say, “but its not clutter,” not to you it isn’t but to a potential buyer anything that isn’t theirs is probably going to be considered clutter. No hard feelings. That being said, the trick does not involve emptying your house, you have to create a specific nature to sell. This is what an outside observer can do.
I know, I know, it seems like you are the Kings and Queens of your home and you know what is best for it (chances are most of the time you do). You might be the all-knowing super-power of your home, but do not make the mistake of assuming you are also the emperor of the people coming to view it. You don’t know them! They could be anyone; a nice home to them might mean an aquarium inside your living room. You never know, and you will never be able to. A stager does not know either but they have a better strategic position to detach from the whole ordeal and move away from, trendy, cute, country, formal, ultra, traditional, or ultra modern and into the wonderful world of GENERIC.
Good luck! Thanks to Kathy Cinquemani of ASP, Hampton NH for her Sell or Dwell Ideas.
More Staging Tips:
ReplyDeleteTen Focus Points for Staging a Home
Advice from Stephen Saint-Onge
1. Focus on the front of the house.
First impressions go a long way. What is the home saying to prospective buyers?
2. Entering the home.
Were all your senses affected? What are you seeing ? feeling?
3. Make change happen.
Begin to de-clutter the rooms. All the extra stuff needs to be moved.
4. It can't be personal any more.
De-personalize the house.
5. Find the positive and negatives in each room.
Donate, sell, tag sale, or store the negatives. Get down to basics and focus on the positives.
6. Rearranging the rooms to work better.
Create moments.
7. Shop the house for props!
Be creative with things they already have repurpose items.
8. Once the rooms are down to the basic good things, look at what needs to be improved.
What are the simple changes that can be done to make the rooms look their best?
Can the kitchen get a cosmetic makeover? Does the living room need a new mantle?
Does the carpet need to be removed? A can of paint to brighten a room. Some new throw pillows. Stylish props in the kitchen. Fresh flowers, logs for the fireplace. New privacy shades.
9. Be ready to set the stage like a film set. You are creating a lifestyle that should appeal to a buyer. Use a little creative magic to set the mood lights, music, scents, visuals that stay with them and make them begin to SEE THEMSELVES living in the rooms. All these small details
need to happen each time a showing is scheduled. It's not about turning on the lights anymore!
10. A very important factor in first impressions of any home on the market stems from the photos on the website of the house inside and out. If the home is staged properly when the photos are shot, this acts as the best first impression for someone looking online, long before
they come to visit the house. If they like what they see online, they'll do the drive by. If they like the outside, they're coming in.
It's all about being creative. Good home design can change lives.