Homeowners who are planning to sell their homes might want to consider staging. Home staging helps you sell your home at the highest amount possible. While you can do much of the staging task yourself, reaching out to real estate agents for recommendations work wonders.
Either way, staging is the best way to sell your property quickly and for a greater price. But how to stage a vacant home to sell? This post discusses several tips for homeowners who might be interested in staging their vacant homes and the benefits of home staging.
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How important is home staging?
When you are dealing with an important financial transaction like selling your home, you don’t want to settle for a low selling price. Hence, considering the amount of time and money involved, staging is a lucrative project that is worthy to undertake.
It is often seen that potential buyers are not only looking for a structure where they can live. Rather, they look to improve their lifestyle and fulfill their dreams. Home staging provides the right atmosphere for an emotional purchase for the right buyer.
In return, the seller can generate more money. Moreover, potential buyers don’t like the idea of repair and maintenance when moving into a new home. So, whenever they find a problem, they will deduct its cost from the amount that you had offered. However, if they find out too many issues, they won’t buy your home.
How staging can impact the sale price
According to a report from the National Association of Realtors, around 47% of agents appointed by the buyers said that home staging plays a crucial role when it comes to making the final decision whether or not to buy a home.
Besides, the report also highlighted that around 82% of the buyers opinioned that staging made them help visualize a certain property as their future home. As such, the home gets sold faster. Going through the report, about 46% of buyers found that staging the living room proved beneficial to them.
It was followed by the master bedroom which accounted for about 43% and the kitchen at around 35%. One thing is clear if staging didn’t benefit the sellers, it shouldn’t have been so popular these days. In short, a little money spent on staging can pay off in the final sales price.
Another report says that about 95% of staged homes tend to sell in eleven days or even less. Therefore, it is about 87% faster when you compare the time it takes for an ordinary house to sell on average. There is no denying that an average home sells for 10 to 20% less than the quoted price.
Typically, every $100 that you invest in home staging might return up to $400 if the selling price is higher. So, if you spend $1, chances are that you can receive $4, which is a 400% return. Hence, every homeowner should consider this amazing opportunity.
Help maximize the appeal of your house with these home staging tips
According to the National Association of Realtors, the most common rooms that are great for staging include the dining room (72%), bedroom (78%), kitchen (84%), and living room (93%). However, money and time determine the extent of staging that suits perfectly for the house. Try employing these techniques in rooms that you can afford and have time for.
1. Make the house clean
Potential buyers get convinced that you have taken good care of the property when they find your home clean and tidy. Hence, you should clean every part of your house from ceilings to floors and everything that comes between. Suppose, if you don’t have new appliances in the kitchen, ensure that the older ones are clean.
In the same way, ensure that the bathrooms are spotless from the sink drain to the corners of the bathtub. Also, clean the area behind the toilet in case you think that buyers won’t look there. Aim to make every corner of your house look new.
2. Declutter and depersonalize
Having your house cluttered will distract potential buyers from looking at your home’s features. Also, they will think that the home has less space. So, arrange the unimportant things and put them into storage. Moreover, it is the best time to get rid of things that you don’t use anymore.
Keep in mind that the more you free space in the house, the better. Apart from decluttering your house, consider depersonalizing certain items. Whenever a buyer visits your home, they envision themselves in the space. Hence, it is good to remove or arrange a few items.
For example, remove all refrigerator art, keepsakes, and family photos. Also, keep clothes hidden as much as you can. And, keep the bathroom counters empty other than hand soap. In addition, put away toys or anything personal. In short, the idea is to make the buyer feel like it is their home.
3. Being fresh
Nothing can be compared to a few potted plants that make a home inviting and fresh. However, space out a few of them so that they don’t make a specific area look congested. Besides, discard dying or dead plants if you have any.
Getting rid of unwanted odors is another great way of making your home appear fresh. A dam bathroom, previous night’s dinner, pets, kids, and other conditions make your home smell. Some of the inexpensive tricks of removing odors from your home and inviting aromas can include baking cookies in the oven, burning vanilla-flavored candles, and so on.
Treat your kitchen sink with a piece of lemon to eliminate sink odors. Although you can use good-quality air fresheners, it is best not to use them. That’s because they can trigger asthma or allergic reactions in sensitive people. Lastly, take out the trash.
4. Furniture
Don’t clutter a room by having too much furniture. So, make sure that the furniture has the right size for a room. Large furniture can make a room look small. Whereas, too small or too little furniture makes the room feel cold.
However, never use cheap furniture. Besides, you don’t have to spend a fortune buying a lot of furniture. You can always rent and stage them at your home. The idea is to make the furniture look inviting, tidy, and nice. Also, you can add throw pillows to add more color to the room.
Furthermore, you need to arrange the furniture so that the room feels homey and spacious. It should be easy to navigate as well. Make sure to set up a seating area that creates a comfortable zone to have conversations in the living room.
5. Lighting
It is a good idea to take advantage of natural light in your home. So, whenever you show your home to a potential buyer make sure to open all blinds and curtains. Also, add fixtures where you feel the need. And, turn on the lights in the closets.
It will make the home appear bright and more inviting. Besides, it saves a lot of time for the buyers to hunt for the switches. However, if you believe that the existing fixtures work well, ensure to remove any grime. Broken or outdated light fixtures are cheap and easy to install.
6. Flooring
Nobody likes a home with stained, dirty carpets. Although hardwood floors are expensive, they add elegance and value to a home. Also, they are a low-maintenance solution and have a long-term value. Most importantly, it is perfect for buyers who are prone to allergies.
If you are thinking about adding hardwood floors, the common areas should include the kitchen, dining room, and living room. You can upgrade the bathrooms because they have little floor area and won’t be much expensive. If you can afford it, use ceramic tiles or stone in kitchens and bathrooms. If not, you can use vinyl tiles.
7. Final touches
Ensure that the staging efforts result in having maximum impact before showing your house to buyers. Last-minute touches can make your home warm and inviting. Allow fresh air inside your house and put some fresh flowers in the vases ten minutes beforehand so that the area isn’t stuffy. Also, light some candles with subtle fragrances and put new towels in the bathrooms.
Try to spark the emotion and you are good to go
In general, most people start the process of buying a house from a logical perspective. As such, they became tired of paying rent and commit to making a down payment. They are ready to take this huge investment and approach the lender with a specific budget.
People view it as a smart financial undertaking like they do with their stock portfolio. However, at the peak moment, everything changes and they start looking at other aspects of buying a house.
So, if you can provide them with an imagination that pictures family members dining in a great place and spending nights comfortably by watching their favorite shows or movies by the fireplace through staging your empty house, that’s the only way to get a full price for your house.
