4 Foolproof Tips to Successfully Stage Your Home

When it’s time to sell the home, there are so many steps you need to take as a homeowner before putting your property on the market, starting with hiring the right real estate agent. Once you have chosen your real estate agent and have agreed on a fair market price for your home, the real work begins. Of the many ways homeowners need to prep their homes for prospective buyers, one of the most crucial steps is staging their home. So what is home staging, and how does it get properties sold?

 

Home staging is a method of decorating and staging a residential home in order to appeal to the highest number of buyers. As a whole, staged homes tend to sell faster and for more money, selling up to 4 - 30x faster and for 20% of a higher asking price than their competition. If you are motivated to sell quickly and for more money, then staging your home is one of the best investments you can make as a seller. Here are the four foolproof methods that get homes sold quicker.

In any listing, the #1 goal is to get qualified buyers to submit offers on your home. This is especially important if you are trying to sell your home quickly and for more money. Yet, one of the biggest questions sellers ask themselves is whether or not they want to hire a professional stager. There are many pros and cons associated with hiring a professional stager to stage your home for sale, yet whether or not you choose to hire a professional, there is one economical, tried-and-true method that always produces positive results: decluttering your home.

 

When you are selling your property, it is essential to make buyers feel as comfortable and relaxed in your home as possible. Even if you have a gourmet kitchen, top-of-the-line smart home technology, and custom features throughout the home, if your home is messy and cluttered, most buyers will not be interested in anything else your home has to offer. Many people are inherently stressed out by messy, cluttered spaces. Being surrounded by clutter produces cortisol, a stress hormone that’s meant to signal pain to the body. Being in messy, cluttered homes stresses many people out, and as a result, they want to leave the home. By cleaning and decluttering your home prior to putting it on the market, you are making your home a more pleasant, welcoming place for your prospective buyers.

 

Clean your home from top to bottom or hire a professional cleaning company to make your home neat and tidy. Remove any unnecessary clutter that makes your home feel cramped and tiny. Invest in storage solutions, if you can, or sell any items you don’t plan on bringing with you.

 

Along with clean, clutter-free spaces, many buyers like to be in rooms that are airy and inviting. A straightforward way to accomplish this is through tasteful, neutral decor. Paint your walls in neutral colors, such as soft shades of cream, gray, blue, green, or other muted tones that compliment the room and make it feel larger. Neutral tones have a soothing effect on buyers, giving them a cozy feeling throughout the space. For added effect, use pops of color sparingly in different decor pieces, such as throw pillows, art pieces, blankets, or area rugs. Color theory is your greatest alley in home decor, especially when you are trying to stage your home for prospective buyers

Of the many benefits of staging a home, one of the most underrated benefits is its problem-solving abilities. When moving to a new home, one of the biggest problems buyers face is whether or not their furniture will fit into their dream home. While some buyers purchase new furniture when they purchase a new home, many buyers like to save money by keeping their current set of furniture. If they believe their furniture will not fit into the space, then they are far less likely to see themselves living in your home. Staging furniture helps solve this dilemma. By keeping your furniture to scale for the room, you are helping buyers visualize what their furniture will look like in the space and help them mentally move into your home. With this in mind, make sure your furniture is to scale for the room. Furniture that is too big or too small for the space can make your rooms appear smaller than they really are.

 

When it comes to real estate, one common myth that exists among homeowners is the idea that empty space is the best way for buyers to visualize their furniture in the space. While it is true that empty space makes a home look bigger, it can also produce the opposite effect sellers want for the space. Whether your home has an open floor plan or enclosed rooms, buyers want to know the purpose of each room. Many buyers have a difficult time visualizing furniture on a blank canvas. When a room has sparse furnishings or no furnishings at all, it can be confusing for buyers to know what to do with the space, especially if your home has quirky alcoves or an unconventional floor plan.

 

By using furnishings and decor that complement the space, buyers will have a clearer vision of what they can do with the space, which makes them more likely to visualize themselves moving into your property. For example, if buyers see a dining table that is to scale for the dining room, they can picture where they will fit their dining room. This principle also works for home offices, bedrooms, and entertainment spaces.

Staging your home is no small task. From cleaning and decluttering your home to making sure your furniture and decor fit the space, home staging can be an incredibly overwhelming task on top of everything else you have to do to prepare for your big move. If you are ever unsure about the principles of staging or if you just don’t have the time and energy to take on this important task, then hiring a professional stager is the way to go. Is it expensive to hire a stager? In many cases, yes, but it’s an investment that yields significant returns on your listing. In many cases, a home stager can increase your home’s asking price by up to 5%. With such a big ROI upfront, it’s worth considering hiring a professional stager.

 

Ready to sell your Washington D.C. home? Here at the Sarro and Georgatsos Group, we are among the top real estate agents in Washington D.C. We sell condos, townhouses, single-family homes, and luxury homes in Washington, D.C., and throughout the Washington D.C metro area. Contact us today for your free consultation.

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