Home staging – have you ever thought of it from a home stagers’ point of view? Well, here’s a little story. Recently, a very well-known professional home stager decided to sell the 4,000+ square foot home where she lived with her husband. This home was very well-maintained, and really by most standards would have sold on the market almost immediately! However, since she was a professional stager, she went through the whole staging effort before the home was ever listed.
So what did that entail? She treated her home like any other home which she had staged previously. This included painting inside and out, changing the kitchen cabinets from gray to white, and even replacing the carpet. Some of the dated light fixtures were updated to have a more modern appeal. The fence was stained, minor landscaping was added to give the outside a fresh and inviting appeal. Personal items were all removed from the home (remember, we always mention to declutter!). Removing those personal items took away that “distraction”, and some of the large furniture was replaced with smaller pieces to show how large the rooms were and to increase the potential buyers’ imagination.
So what did it feel like? After doing these updates, the home looked and smelled clean. After all, it WAS clean! Incredible drive-up appeal. Each room literally looked like it was in a magazine spread. The professional photos which were taken allowed potential buyers to see the home before they ever walked through the door in person. When this home did go on the market, it sold in FIVE DAYS, above the listing price and with multiple offers. And, it sold for a considerably higher sales price than previous comparable sales had indicated that it would!
Here’s the lesson – even if a home is in good condition, taking the time to go through all those little steps to make it look it’s best will pay off in the end. It will generate the results that any seller hopes for when they are in the process of selling their home – the highest price possible within the shortest amount of time and the least amount of inconvenience.
Ready to sell your home? Then we should talk. I’m always available to talk to you at 703-303-4010.
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