Whenever you are selling a home, whether one you have lived in, or one that you bought to make a profit, it is important that you present the residence in the best possible manner, so that it sells the quickest. You want potential buyers to feel come in and feel comfortable, invited, and be able to have immediate ideas of why they want the home they are looking at. Cold empty rooms, echoing hallways, and dull colors often deter people away. Because these homes are harder to sell, many real estate agents shy away from showing these homes.
Ironically, instead of lowering a listing price, spending some extra cash on the home can make a bigger difference in selling it. Planning ahead is the key to this. If you know when the next open house will be, something as simple as renting furniture can give your house some energy.
If you are someone who buys and sells homes frequently, investing in some cheap but tasteful furniture from a second hand store or garage sale is a smart idea. This can help you save money over renting furniture, and it also saves you time trying to find the right things. Having a couple matching sets is ideal, that way you can fit the flow of the home you are selling.
A helpful and easy to access resource for information about staging homes is your real estate agent. Another resource would be professional home staging services. They will come out and access your home and give you pointers on what furniture to rent, colors to paint rooms, how to arrange things, etc. Apart from that they also offer to do all the work for you. If you are someone who is busy, or someone who does not have a designer touch, this may be the option for you.
Many people think the inside of a home is the only part where staging is possible or important, but they are wrong. First impressions are always important, and as people walk up to the house the first thing they will see is the yard and exterior of the house. Keeping the lawn mowed and pulling weeds can do wonders to the look of a house, and other things such as painting garage doors can do the same, but will also raise the value of the home.
If the property is presented as a family dwelling, then it may be a good idea to stage the exterior to look more child or pet friendly. Setting up a small cheap playground, a few well placed toys, are all good ideas. Buying a cheap kennel or a dog house could make pet owners say things like; “look, even Fluffy will have his own home.” This will draw people in, and make them feel themselves living there.
Talking to your local real estate agent could be helpful when thinking of staging ideas, or there is tons of advice and tips online. Your agent will be able to suggest certain improvements, or at the least be able to connect you with a professional staging service. No matter who does the staging, whether yourself or a professional, putting in the effort will give your home warmth and life and it will also help you sell your home quicker.