Preparing Your Home For Sale - Real Estate Staging 101

The way you live in your home and the way you sell your house are two different things. Barbara Schwarz, StagedHomes.com

Did you know . . . properties that are "staged" BEFORE they go on the market will sell faster and for more more money?

Real Estate Staging® is the process of preparing a house for sale and it should be done before your home ever goes on the market. The Accredited Staging Professional™ goes through the property with a trained, objective “buyer’s eye” and uses an extensive check list to determine what needs to be done. The ASP™ will be totally frank with you, so please don’t take whatever they say personally. The information and insight they provide will give you the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively maximize the return on your family’s most valuable investment, your home.

Here are a few basic tips for selling your home – “The Five Cs of Staging”:

Curb Appeal – buyers will decide within 3-5 seconds whether they want to see more. Trim overgrown shrubs, touch up peeling paint, remove or store garbage cans and children’s toys out of sight.

Clean – If you can smell it, you can’t sell it! Clean your home like it was going in for surgery! Especially deep clean kitchens, bathrooms and windows. Fingerprints, grease, dirty grout, moldy cracked caulk and ugly stains really turn off prospective buyers. Worn and stained carpet or flooring should be cleaned, fixed or replaced.

Color – Neutral, neutral, neutral – choose a color that doesn’t distract the buyer. Color evokes strong emotions, so keep it neutral!

Clutter Free – If you can’t see it, you can’t sell it! A person’s treasures are another person’s clutter. Depersonalize by removing photographs, trophies, family treasures, etc. You are selling your home, not your things.

Creativity – The buyer only knows what they see, not what can be! Creating feelings of comfort and easy flow will welcome buyers and make them feel “at home.” Make them want to move in, not move on!

Remember: The investment you make in Staging® your home will almost always be less than your first price reduction.