How To Stage a Home To Sell

In today’s current real estate market buyers are pickier and sellers must push harder to create the optimal move-in ready environment. In a sea of short sales and foreclosures, many buyers are looking for a pristine, move-in ready home without a lot of repairs or work to be done once the deal closes.

 

If you are selling your Warner Robins home outside of a short sale or foreclosure you may be competing with some tough listings. Model homes, builder developments, and new subdivisions are all taking precedence over owner occupied home sellers. Buyers like the appeal of a brand-new home and prefer the neutral, clean feeling that staged homes provide.

Here are three tips for sellers that want their home to stand out among all the showcase, model homes, and brand-new listings:

Tour model homes and check out the current color pallets that stagers and designers are putting in homes. White walls are no longer the appeal. Buyers want warmth, white trim and carefully staged yet neutral tones. Stay away from dark or bright colors in the kitchen and bathrooms, refrain from pink or baby blue colors in kid’s rooms, and allow one neutral color to flow within the living/dining/family room area. Look at your home from different rooms and determine which walls you can see from each room. For instance; if you can see the kitchen and dining room from the back hall, will two colors clash? Would it make a difference seeing one wall up against another from one room to the next? If you are completely stuck with colors and not too sure which direction you should go it’s not a bad idea to have a free consultation or even a paid consultation from a professional stager and designer. Remember, these model homes have been professionally staged and designed for potential buyers.

Group similar items and collections in threes and be careful to keep them neutral; no personal memorabilia, photographs, or trendy collections. Imagine you are staging your home as a five-star resort hotel. You wouldn’t want a picture of the manager’s kids on the mantle, etc… Use fresh flowers and foliage whenever you can and remove excessive photographs or pictures from the walls.

When it comes to the kitchen, most people have many items and appliances set out. But this is the time to put all of that away. It’s actually a great idea to pack up a lot of the items including clothes, toys, books etc. and only leave a few items in each room. No more than one or two items on the kitchen counter or bathroom counters and pairing down bookshelf items to just a few books will give an open and clean feeling to each room. By removing half of the items out of closets it appears that there is plenty of room and buyers feel that they can certainly add more to each space.

These are just a couple basic tips to staging and selling their Warner Robins home. If you are a serious seller and want to get buyers through the door and offers on the table, contact me immediately for your options and a strategy to get your home sold quickly and effectively. (478) 960-8055.