Home Staging: Dressing To Impress

We all know the old adage “dress for success” – and the pearl of wisdom rings especially true when it comes to presenting our homes for sale.

Most vendors looking to sell want maximum return on what is probably their biggest ever investment, so it’s little wonder why more and more people are turning their minds to staging their homes before listing them for sale.

Home staging is about presenting your property in a way that helps buyers visualise living there and (hopefully) creating an emotional connection to your bricks and mortar.

As well as engaging the right real estate agent and having a sound understanding of the market, offering your property at its best is crucial to achieving the highest price and a swift sales turnaround.

Here’s some ways to get started:

Declutter

If we learnt anything from the Marie Kondo phenomenon, it was less is more. A minimalist aesthetic is now a sought-after look and buyers are likely to run a mile at the prospect of navigating something akin to a hoarders hell. Start by packing up items that are specific to your family – photos, dust-collecting heirlooms or perhaps that prized collection of salt and pepper shakers you accumulated from every town you’ve ever visited while on holiday. Clearing the clutter and offering a more minimalist appeal will allow buyers to imagine themselves in your home. It’ll also give you a head start for when moving day does roll around.

Research

Turning your attention to the demographics of your neighbourhood will help determine who your home is most likely to appeal to, and this is well worth factoring into your staging plans. As well as online searches about the make-up of the residents in your suburb, a knowledgeable real estate agent may be able to provide some insight into the sorts of buyers seeking out properties. Having a solid understanding of this will allow you to effectively present your property for sale. Tailoring your styling to a specific market allows those buyers to connect with your home. If young families are out in force, you might consider converting a bedroom into a nursery or a play room. Or if your home is likely to appeal to a downsizer, perhaps a low-maintenance garden?

Staging your home

Investment in a physical staging campaign for your home is well worth considering if you’re aiming to snare the best possible sales price. While it can be costly and cumbersome moving your furniture out and new furniture in, most agents say the sleek, clean look that home staging brings will pay dividends in the long run. Some companies also offer ‘soft staging’ which includes bringing in artwork and accessories to style the home, but not furniture. Another option for financially-conscious sellers is ‘virtual staging’. Virtual staging involves using a computer to digitally ‘stage’ the property by creating images that are used in its marketing.

Call in a professional or DIY?

As well as ensuring your property is well maintained, consider a coat of paint, steam cleaning of carpets and an overall deep clean before listing your home for sale. If your creativity is a bit lacking or you just don’t have an eye for interior design and the flourishes needed, you may want to leave home staging to a professional. An expert stylist will be able to evaluate likely markets and transform your home into a picture perfect pad, ready for sale. But assistance from an expert home stylist or property staging business can be expensive. If you can’t afford to have a professional stage your home, consider clearing rooms of your house as much as possible and then asking family and friends if you can borrow key items that may fit with the theme of your abode. With a little guidance from Pinterest or other social media platforms, a DIY option could prove to be a more cost-effective alternative, especially if you have an artistic eye.

If you need assistance preparing your home to sell, please contact us.