Is Your Home Staged to Sell?

When you’re ready to sell your home, any Grand Rapids real estate agent will tell you it’s important to “set the stage” for potential buyers. Staging, or decorating to emphasize a home’s best qualities, is one proven way to help your home sell faster. When it’s done effectively, staging plays on the buyer’s emotions, selling lifestyle and dreams. Are you taking advantage of this powerful marketing tool?

Whether you stage your home yourself or hire a professional, staging usually addresses these essentials:

• Declutter . Reduce or eliminate items on countertops, children’s toys, CDs and DVDs, and contents of drawers, closets, and garages. Since most of these items will need to be packed before moving anyway, it makes sense to start your packing process with items that make your home appear “cluttered.”
• Depersonalize . The reason for “depersonalizing” is to help potential buyers envision themselves in your space. Store or stow all personal photos, collections, and hobbies. If you’re living in the home and want to keep some personal items around, you may consider stashing them in a decorative basket when the home is going to be shown.
• Neutralize . Depending on your home, this may mean applying a fresh coat of neutral paint or simplifying your art.
• Rearrange . Minimize furniture in a room, and arrange it to make rooms look spacious. If you have already moved, it may be necessary to rent, borrow, or leave behind a few key pieces to make purpose of the room evident.
• Clean . Make it spotless, even if you decide to hire a cleaning service for the major cleaning (sliding glass door tracks, windows, etc.) or upkeep. Make sure the home smells clean as well.
• Light . Turn on all the lights, add extra lighting where needed, and consider removing window coverings if you have an excellent view.

Staging is an ongoing cycle that starts as soon as you consider selling your home. Since most homes are viewed first online, a home needs to be in top condition for the photos that will appear with the listing, to pique a buyer’s interest and entice them to even view the home. Make time to review and refresh your staging before each showing as well. That may mean adding a bowl of fresh lemons or fresh flowers, baking cookies in the oven, taking out the trash, or putting out a clean set of fluffy towels. All these extra efforts can pay off in the end.

There are lots of interesting shows and magazines devoted to staging and decorating a home. Your home may already be staged to sell, or may benefit from a few small changes. Whether or not your home is already staged, contact The Sprich Group when you’re ready to sell your home, and we’ll work with you to see that it shines in the best possible light.

Photo: Dan Grogan ( some rights reserved )