Home Staging
More Home Staging Tips
When home staging, keep this in mind. It has been said that a buyer will make up their mind within 10 seconds when viewing a home whether they are interested or now.
This is partially true. It all starts when they drive or walk up to the front of the property. I have had buyers tell me. “We don't even have to look inside". "We don't like the looks of the outside”.
Although it happened rarely, I've also had a few folks who when convinced to go inside, actually bought that property. I always used the excuse that we were already there and we should at least take a quick look inside as a courtesy to the sellers.
The property pictured here could be absolutely
stunning inside but how many people would just drive by? Of course this home could improve some of it's curb appeal with some paint, shutters and landscaping.
Sometimes a house will look a great deal smaller than it really is. It could be a back-split with lots of mature trees hiding the depth. People could look at the building from the outside and see 84 sq. meters (900 sq. ft.)The building could actually be 140 sq. meters(1500 sq. ft.)which was maybe what these people were looking for. Home staging to increase the visual size of the property is difficult in these cases. It is important therefore to advertise in Print, Internet and even on Your Sign the square footage.
You may want to consider having a home inspection done before you sell. Why you asked? If there is any problems you may have missed, now may be the time to find out.
You may also be able to use this as a selling point to a nervous buyer. Leaving a nice clean “your house passes inspection” report on the kitchen table next to the appraisal can make a buyer feel very comfortable.
Having a home inspection done is by no means necessary and really has nothing to do with staging a house. I only mentioned that it is an option you might want to look at.
When home staging should you ever do major renovations before placing your house on the market? In most cases no. If you have finished totally updating your house except for the downstairs bathroom which has the rust stained harvest gold fixtures with the matching yellow shag carpet, then probably I would renovate that bathroom.
The kitchen would look so great with brand new raised panel solid oak cabinets to replace the slightly dated but in excellent condition plywood ones. Would I do the kitchen renovation? Probably not.
If the work is going to cost you far more than you can expect in return, when staging a house to sell, you probably should bypass that change.
Some exceptions to the rules of home staging, might be as follows. Every other spring during the rainy season, the basement gets 3-4 inches of water in it. The cure is to put weeping tile around the foundation and add a sump pump.
Not only would I do this work, we actually have in the house we are living in when I wrote this page. Results? No more water in the basement! Now when we sell I can tell people that we had water before the work was done, but not any more.
Any major repairs you make while home staging, keep the receipts to show potential buyers when and what was done. This could include repairs but also the installation of a new furnace, air conditioning, hot water tank or new roof shingles.
By now you know where those receipts go right? Right! Alongside that Certified Highlighted Appraisal.
- Vacant Homes - If the house you are selling is vacant, you may want to place some attractive furniture, lamps and window dressings for showings. Here are some more thoughts about Vacant Homes for Sale.
- Sold As Is Property - A property that needs some TLC and is being sold as is, can still bring more money by home staging, if you do some inexpensive improvements. Some paint, and making sure the lawns are mowed are a couple examples. Removing junk from the yard, repairing holes in the wall or fixing a leaky faucet are a few more.
- Squeaks and Bangs Some noises are good, others not so much. If doors squeak and squeal when opened or closed please apply a lubricant of your choice.
- Stickies If doors jam in the casements adjust or sand to fit. If windows stick closed or open fix them.
- Forgotten Places Don't forget to clean those easily forgotten places. Ceiling fans, duct vents, inside closets and behind furniture are a few examples. Many people like myself wouldn't notice this extra cleaning, but my wife Sue sure would!
When buyers are looking for their new home, they use all 6 senses. Give some thought when home staging to these senses as you prepare to sell for sale by owner.
- #1 Sight- What will the buyer see when they tour your home inside and out?
- #2 Sound- What will the buyer hear? Pleasant sounds or unpleasant?
- #3 Touch- What will the buyer feel when they pass their hand along a railing or a window sill?
- #4 Smell- This one is actually VERY IMPORTANT. Does the buyer experience pleasant smells or unpleasant smells?
- #5 Taste- What will the buyer taste when she ask for a drink of water from the kitchen tap?
- #6 FEELINGS- That 6th sense that says to a buyer....."This FEELS like Home!" Yes, I can see us living here and being very happy!
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