Stage Your Home And Sell For Top Dollars

No matter what state the real estate market is in, did you know there are ways to increase the sales price of your home? With just a few simple steps it really is possible to tempt buyers to pay more for your property.

The technique is called staging and it’s all about presenting your home as a product on the market. There is a distinct difference between the way you live in a home and the way you should stage it to appeal to potential buyers.

Here are some staging tips that will help you sell your home for top dollar:

Detailing Your Home
If you planned to sell your car, you’d detail it inside and out. You’d polish all the chrome and wax the paint so it sparkled. You’d touch up any chips in the paint job and also make sure the interior was clean and neat and garbage free.

When it comes to selling your home, you should detail your house inside and out as well. This means going beyond basic cleaning and making sure your home sparkles.

Be sure your yards are neat and free of weeds. Sweep the sidewalk and powerwash the driveway to remove any stains. Get a broom into every corner and sweep away cobwebs.

Put the lids on toilet seats down and be sure to remove from sight any personal hygiene products or hygiene accessories from your bathroom.

De-Clutter
People who buy homes want to be able to imagine their own furniture in each room and picture their own family living in a new home. This means you should strive to make your house as free of your own personal touches as possible.

Removing any objects or items that clutter up corners, walls or shelves can actually make each room appear larger and give an appearance of space. Take down any family pictures or trophies and put them in boxes. If you sell your home you’re going to be moving anyway, so you’re getting a head start on your packing. The same rule applies to figurines, knick-knacks, ornaments and any other item that clutters up your rooms.

Look critically at each room in your house and remove any item that threatens to make your rooms look overcrowded. If the kid’s rooms have toys in each corner, put those into boxes too.

Neutral Territory
While brightly colored feature walls might look wonderful with your custom-made sofa, home buyers want to imagine their own furniture in a home they intend to buy. The small expense of repainting your walls in a light, neutral shade can help make each room appear lighter and larger.

It may feel as though you?re turning your home into a blank canvas, but this is exactly what a potential buyer is looking for.

Window Coverings
If you currently have heavy, dark colored window dressings or curtains, try to replace them with light, airy colored coverings. These can make your rooms appear lighter and more open and can also make your windows into a feature.

Added Space

So many homes are beautifully presented through the living areas and yet there’ll be nothing but storage in the basement or attic spaces. Make the most of the room you have by presenting any available space as potential added living areas.

Home Staging Tips

Home owners who are putting their homes up for sale must be aware of the importance of staging their home. Why is staging a home important? Because staging a home is all about maximizing the potential of a home and minimizing its flaws with the end goal of receiving the best possible value of the home, in the shortest time frame possible, and doing so in the most economical way.

There are many tricks to the trade that home owners can use and the internet is a great source for finding these ideas, tips and techniques. Some of the ways home owners, real estate agents or home stagers can show the home in the best possible light are as follows:

1. De-clutter by removing all knick knacks, photos, souvenirs, personal items, mess, etc.
2. Clean all rooms from top to bottom, vacuum carpets, wash dishes, and ensure everything is dust free
3. Deodorize, this is particularly important if there are pets, smokers or cooking smells. Place fresh flowers as centerpieces
4. Organize closet and storage areas. Remove junk and place extraneous items into storage
5. Address any and all repairs
6. Countertops and shelves should not be filled with food and appliances. You want your kitchen space to appear large, clean and functional
7. Ensure there is good lighting by keeping blinds / drapes drawn, replace burnt out light bulbs
8. Have soft background music playing in the background
9. Ensure each room has a set function
10. Ensure traffic flow is smooth and uninterrupted by ensuring proper placement of furniture

Statistics show that potential buyers make their decision to purchase your home in the first 60 seconds upon seeing a house. Statistics also show that well staged homes sell for 40-50% faster than their competition. First impression is the key to selling your home fast and for top dollar. Ideally, using an accredited and experienced Home Stager who is trained to identify how best to stage or show a house is the best route to take, but in today’s difficult financial times, in an effort to save cost, home owners can learn the tricks and techniques themselves.

There are numerous resources on the internet for ideas on how to stage homes. In today’s troubled real estate market where the competition is stiff and home owners must do their utmost to tap the most value out of their homes as possible. Houses must show well and compete with other similar houses for sale in the same neighborhood or area. Home staging is a great option as costs can be minimized (controlled by home owner) and simple do it yourself techniques implemented that can truly raise the value of a home.

Maria Desing is a contributor of popular blog http://www.homestagingschool.com. She writes informative articles on topics like home staging, selling your home, home evaluations and more! Learn more about home staging when you visit the site today!