In the competitive real estate market, home staging is a necessity. Home staging entails preparing your home to appeal to prospective buyers by modifying the living room, kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, and outdoor living. Effective home staging can make a buyer pay a huge amount for your property based on the impression they get. Homeowners and estate agents who have implemented the strategy have recorded excellent results.
The home selling process in San Diego involves multiple steps. Home staging is one of the several steps professional real estate agents undertake to sell your property. Professional real estate agents like Sonja Huter assert that home staging allows you to display the best features of your property to draw potential buyers.
The home selling process in San Diego involves multiple steps. Home staging is one of the several steps professional real estate agents undertake to sell your property. Professional real estate agents like Sonja Huter assert that home staging allows you to display the best features of your property to draw potential buyers.
Benefits of home staging to the seller
Home staging is an excellent way to sell your home fast. The real estate market is changing, and home staging is a new trend to improve a fast home sale. Some of the major benefits of home staging include:
First impression
Staging allows potential buyers to examine your property's features. How you present your home determines whether you make a sale or not.
Staging allows the buyer to envision life in the new home, especially if the rooms match their unique needs.
Setting up the appeal
Home staging allows you to clean and organize your home to make it more appealing and inviting. Potential buyers admire the comfort and believe their lives will be as comfortable as they visualize after buying the home. You do not have to invest a lot to do home staging. Instead, use what you have to create a positive impression on buyers.
Hiding flaws
Almost all homes have flaws that need improvement. Unfortunately, some are structural defects such as small rooms, awkward shape, and inadequate lighting, making them hard to fix. However, home staging can help minimize the defects or turn them into positive aspects. Staging your home makes it easy to capture beautiful images. The more potential buyers view your home, the more it's likely to sell.
Better offers
A good first impression about your home prompts buyers to pay a higher price for the property. Most real estate agents advise homeowners to make simple repairs and clean the property before staging. These cost-effective ideas raise your property's value significantly.
Home staging ideas to entice potential buyers
Staging your home eases the selling process if you do it right. Here are some ideas you should consider while staging your property:
1. Declutter
Unwanted items take up much space in your home. If you want to sell your home fast, get rid of unnecessary items. This way, you create the illusion of space, making your home look clean. You can declutter by donating items you no longer use to charity, selling them, or paying for separate storage. You can invest in a portable container to store your valuables within the home staging period.
2. Go neutral on colors
Bright colors are attractive but are limiting. Instead, consider neutral colors such as grey, white or taupe. If the buyer fancies bold hues, they can paint them after buying the home. Painting is costly, but it is one of the most crucial home staging steps. It makes your home stand out and raises its value.
3. Make repairs
Examine your home for cracks, scratches, and dents that can put off potential buyers. Mend the cracks and seal holes. Additionally, paint all wall markings that make a room untidy. Cleaning and patching up minor issues shows that you are keen on maintaining your property.
4. Make it inviting
Make your home as inviting as possible to create a long-lasting impression. Clean the porch to enhance the curb appeal and repaint the porch floor. Ensure you clean the walkway to remove dirt and stubborn grime.
5. Tidy & light up
Image Courtesy of Sonja Huter
Examine all the surfaces to detect dirt and dust. Next, clean the floors and windows to make them sparkling. Open the windows, curtains, and blinds to let in fresh air and light.
If you own a big home, you may want to invest in professional cleaning services. Moreover, turn on the lights in your home to show its interior and exterior at night. Lighting your porch and pathways guides buyers as they drive in if they are viewing your property in the evening or at night.
6. Rearrange your furniture
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Good furniture arrangement makes your home look more spacious. Rearrange your bookshelves, cabinets, and sofas to create that alluring look. Avoid worn-out or bulky furniture as they can easily turn off prospective buyers.
7. Use green plants
Plants spruce the look of your home's interior and exterior. A couple of beautiful plants add life and freshness to your home. Set a vase with beautiful flowers at the center of your kitchen table or in the living room. Remember to space the vases to avoid cluttering your rooms.
8. Deal with odors
Foul odors dissuade potential buyers from purchasing your home. For example, pet dander and dusty carpets cause bad smells. To avoid this, clean your carpets thoroughly and install scented plug-ins to dilute strong odors and improve air quality.
9. Depersonalize
Your home is full of memories, especially if you have lived there for a long time. However, depersonalizing creates a neutral feel in the home. Remove all family photos and put refrigerator art away. Empty the bathroom cabinets and store your clothes and kids' toys out of sight.
10. Define the purpose of all rooms
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Portray the purpose of each room in your home. A buyer envisions maximizing the available space in the home's square footage. Think of ways to define the role of all rooms. For instance, the attic can be an office space, while the basement makes a great entertainment area.
11. Do not forget the home exteriors
If your landscape is cluttered, buyers will expect the same in the interiors and may pick another home from the online listing. Mow your lawn, and trim overgrown plants and hedges. Add a flower box and consider power-washing the exteriors to create a fresh and stunning look.
12. Add some final touches
Before opening your door for showings, ensure your staging efforts have achieved a maximum impact. Do a few last-minute touches to make your home look warm and inviting. Light a candle to get rid of any stuffy smells. You can add clean plush towels to your bathrooms.
Home staging mistakes that homeowners make
Home staging involves multiple steps, and you want to do this right. How you present your home determines your success in the sale process. Some common blunders in home staging turn off buyers from buying your home. Some of the errors include:
Blocking traffic flow
Your real estate agent will advise you to rearrange your furniture to make your rooms look spacious. However, you can make blunders when doing this. For instance, it is wrong to place your furniture on the pathway or in front of the windows. Doing this blocks the doorway, limiting flow and movement.
Excessive paring down
Decluttering is a good idea when staging your home. However, stripping off everything can make your rooms appear dull and uninviting. Instead, leave a few simple decorative elements to add color and charm to your space. Ensure you have ample lamplight, particularly in areas without overhead fixtures.
Gender-specific rooms
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Gender-specific rooms and bright colors make it hard for buyers to choose your property. Instead, go for neutral décor and color; this makes it easy for buyers to determine what works best for their families. Then, allow clients to choose what they want with the property.
Personal photos
Buyers love imagining themselves living in the home. Hanging family photos on the walls is a mistake that can cost you a potential client as they feel you still have an attachment to your property.
How can an agent help?
Home staging offers numerous benefits to a property seller. Contact Sonja Huter for practical home staging ideas so that you can attract more motivated buyers and sell your home faster.
*Header image courtesy of Sonja Huter