Here are my top ten home staging tips to help you appeal to the greatest possible pool of prospective buyers so you can sell fast and for the price you want.

Get a Home Staging Consultation with a Professional Home Stager

First, get an “objective” idea of how buyers may view your house. We all have problem areas that we no longer “see” because we live with them every day. Also, consider who your likely “buyer” is and what they want. A consultation with a professional home stager and advice from your realtor can help you determine and appeal to your “target market.” A home staging consultation can give you that objective view and great advice to either do the home staging yourself or enlist the help of the home stager to do it for you.

Make it Spotless

Make it spotless. The most beautiful house, if dirty, will turn off potential buyers.  It is worth it to hire a professional cleaning service if you do not have time or desire to do it right yourself.

Paint Neutral Colors

Paint neutral colors to make everything look fresh and new. Neutral colors will go with most buyers’ belongings. Buyers that think they will have to repaint will offer less. Sherwin Williams “Accessible Beige” is one of my favorites for home staging.

De-clutter

De-clutter so you only have about half the items that you normally live with. Cluttered rooms or too much furniture will make your space look smaller than it is. A consultation with a home stager can really help here before you get started. Home sellers often remove too much or the wrong things in their de-cluttering efforts. The things that remain and their arrangement are critical to making that emotional connection with buyers.

Remove Personal Photos

Remove personal photos for your own security and to help buyers visualize their family living there. As a buyer, it is hard to “move in in your mind” if they are looking at your family pictures.

Repair to Make it Move in Ready

Repair needed items. Most buyers want a property that is move-in ready.

Don’t Sell it Vacant

Don’t leave it vacant. Buyers will focus on the flaws since they have nothing else to look at! When buyers make an emotional connection and can see themselves living there, the house will sell. It is hard for buyers to visualize how their belongings will fit, or to make that emotional connection with a vacant property. It is worth the expense to stage a vacant property. It is cheaper than your first price reduction, which will likely happen as your home sits on the market for months. If actual staging is not possible, try virtual staging so buyers at least have an idea of how it could look and how their belongings could fit in the space.

Replace Old Carpeting and Outdated Lighting

Upgrade outdated lighting or old carpeting. Your stager or realtor can advise you on which upgrades will provide a good return on your investment in the final sales price. Old lighting can shout “dated” faster than anything. Old carpeting is filled with years of dirt… and no one wants to buy that! The examples shown below were from a house that sold the first day on the market after home staging.

Create Great Curb Appeal

Clean and maintain your yard and make the front door area look welcoming. Great curb appeal will assure buyers make it inside to see your beautiful house.

Get Professional Photos

Get professional photos! Most buyers shop online and will decide about viewing your house in a few seconds. Great photos are critical. See my article on “Preparing for your Photoshoot”.

Prepare for Showings

Finally, when showing your house, make sure all lights are on, curtains are open, toilet seats are closed, and personal items are out of view in the bathrooms.  Remove all evidence of pets.

 

Best of luck on a fast sale!

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Need a home staging consultation? Call today to set one up or try my online consultation.

If home staging is not an option, consider one of my Virtual Home Staging packages.

Learn more about the Pros and Cons of Virtual Home Staging in my recent blog article.

Call 907-362-0065 today

 info@northernlightsstaging.com

 

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How much does it cost is usually the first question I get from home sellers! A better question might be can home staging help me sell faster and for more! Think of home staging as an investment, rather than a cost.

Home Staging is an Investment. Which House Would You Rather Buy?

That investment will depend on the size of your home, if it is vacant or occupied, if the stager will do everything or just a consultation, followed by you, the seller, doing the bulk of the work. It also depends on whether suitable furniture and accessories are present in the home or if items need to be rented.

Stagers charge a fee for a consultation and give an estimate (based on an hourly fee, or a flat fee) if additional time is needed. A monthly rental fee may apply for furniture and/or accessories.

On average, stagers charge $400-$600 for that initial “working” consultation and about $125/hour for their time after that. Furniture and accessory rental costs vary based on what is needed to properly showcase your home.

Just like a home seller shouldn’t pick a real estate agent based on the highest quoted sale price for your home, a stager should not be picked based on the lowest bid. In both cases, the agent and the stager may be quoting that price just to get the job. You get what you pay for. Quality counts.

Staging will always cost less than your first price reduction. An increased sales price of your home, faster closing, and reduced holding costs, will more than cover the staging investment and all with a whole lot less stress!

Who Pays for Home Staging?

Some popular options include:

• the home seller pays all
• the real estate agent pays for a consultation
• the real estate agent reimburses the home seller at closing for an agreed amount (such as for the home staging consultation).
• the real estate agent pays all or part of the staging

More and more Realtors are covering the cost of a consultation as part of their marketing plan, leaving any further investment up to the home seller. If you like to DIY, a home staging consultation may be all you need to properly prepare your home for sale.  Learn more about the costs of home staging and how it works in my blog article, Home staging- How it Works and What it Costs.

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Let’s Get Your Home Staged Today

Let’s get your home staged today. Start with a home staging consultation, either in person or online. From there, you can take the information and stage it yourself, or we can work together or I can do it all for you. Whether you will be living in the home while it is for sale or it will be a vacant property that needs everything, I can help.

Some other services you may find helpful are a color consultation if your staging consultation highlights the need for re-painting the interior or exterior. Virtual staging is an option if in person staging will not work for your vacant property. And vacation rental staging can help you increase your income, bookings and attract your ideal customer.

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The right paint colors can help you sell for more. The wrong colors can decrease your sales price.  Get this report, normally valued at $5 for free when you sign up to receive monthly color, design and staging tips.

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Selling a vacant house is difficult, for a variety of reasons. With nothing else to look at, buyers tend to focus on every flaw.

Buyers have a hard time visualizing how big the space  is and it often appears smaller than it is. They can not picture how their own furniture might fit in the space, especially if you have a challenging layout. And most important, it is very difficult for buyers to make an emotional connection with a vacant house! They look a little sad and lonely!

Here is an example of the difference home staging can make.

If you are selling a vacant house, home staging can make a real difference. Help buyers visualize how their belongings will fit in the space and how their furniture can be arranged. It will help them picture themselves living there. Furniture, art and color will add warmth and a sense of home that a vacant house can never have. This is the first step in getting buyers to make an emotional connection with the house so they will make an offer.

Outshine your competition with home staging.

Purchase an Online Home Staging Service

The first step in any home staging project is a consultation. Feel free to call if you have questions and would like to discuss what would be best for you.

Some times in person home staging is not possible. With professional, well lit photos of your vacant property, your photos can be virtually staged.

 Get your Free Report

 

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Gift Cards

Give a home staging gift card.

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Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy  |  Disclaimer

Prices subject to change without notice.

Call 907-362-0065 today

 info@northernlightsstaging.com

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