At Barrington-Grey Realty, we take pride in being able to suggest many ‘staging’ options prior to you listing your home for sale with our brokerage. In our current real estate market, you most definitely want to create an attractive environment within your home to create optimum presentation! This will not only make your house more attractive to potential buyers, but it will help your home achieve its maximum potential. Having worked as a licensed assistant for a residential appraiser several years ago, I understand some items within your home and exterior which may benefit you financially to either improve or…may not in order to save you from making repairs, etc which you may not receive a financial return on. I have personally bought and sold many properties over the last 10 years and completely understand how paramount it is to create that ‘right’ environment. There are many homes for sale in our current market and buyers understand they have many options so you want to be position yourself ahead of your competition.
We will definitely take the time to overview your home (interior and exterior), and give creative suggestions for special ‘staging’ techniques.
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~First impressions are everything and quite essential when your home is listed for sale~!
Make sure your entire yard is manicured and uncluttered. Your entry should be swept and inviting; for example if it is the Fall time of the year make sure all the leaves are raked and swept. If you have children, put away the toys and maximize ‘Curb Appeal’! We have seen many prospective buyers just continue driving by a property and choose not to even review the interior of a home when the home’s exterior appearance is not attractive…again…First impressions are extremely important.
~Depersonalize the home. If you can, rent a storage unit and put all unused items, excess furniture and such until the house is sold. This will make your house appear larger; especially if you have a smaller home it will greatly improve the appeal. Emptying storage spaces, the basement and the garage will help potential buyers envisions their possessions in the home. Remove family photographs, memorabilia, children’s art projects, sports gear and collectables; anything that might distract the buyer. The purpose of the buyer’s visit is to engage with the home. It is difficult for buyers to visualize their belongings in a home that is filled with personal items. Less is best. Minimalism may really behoove your sale!
~Remove large pieces of furniture that make a room feel crowded. Arrange furniture so that rooms feel open and bright and walkways are generous.
~Touch up paint in both the interior and exterior areas of your home. Paint is relatively inexpensive and an attractive ‘quick’ fix in order to attract potential buyers. Try to always maintain neutral colors since many buyers taste vary. Go room by room and check paint on walls and baseboards. Make any necessary repairs to sheetrock. A thorough cleaning and a fresh coat of paint will make the room look and smell fresh. Replace worn carpet if necessary.
~Remove family portraits from the walls. This will help potential buyers see the home more generically and not as someone else’s home.
~Stage each room so that the buyer knows its purpose. For example, if you are currently using the formal dining room as an office, remove the desk and replace it with a dining table and chairs so that the buyer isnt questioning the floor plan.
~Sensory perceptions of homes have a huge impact on buyers! Make sure the garbage is taken out regularly, and if you have any pets you may want to consider either having the carpets cleaned or the use of air fresheners.
~Make sure all your light bulbs are in working order and replace those which are not. Dripping faucets can also be a big detraction so it would help you to have those repaired. Although it does not seem to be a cost saving idea, make sure you leave ALL the lights on…all day! When a home is being shown by a real estate agent, many buyers immediately dismiss a home that is either poorly lighted or dark when they enter the home.
~Keep pets away either when you are having an Open House or when your home is being showed to potential buyers Animals can intimidate some people and may leave a negative impression of your home.
~Reorganize your closets so they don’t present as being cluttered. This is really important.
A suggestion may be to remove and box up clothes that you are not currently utilizing so your closets appear larger.
~Make sure all beds are made and all things picked up every morning. Your home may get shown throughout the day while you are at work. Bedrooms with all the beds made and cleaned up present well. This also applies to cleaning up the kitchen so dirty dishes, etc are not visible.
~Fix sticky doors, peeling linoleum flooring, cracked windows, etc and any other little household project you may have put off. Now is the time to address those issues so your home will show with the best presentation possible.
~In short, the presentation of your home is essential. The best scenario is to create an environment to show your home as a ‘model home’; always extremely clean and may appear almost like no one lives there! This definitely does require some work from a Sellers perspective however it certainly improves the selling potential of your home and may help with a more expedient sale!