It's a tough market.
You want YOUR Home to be the one that will sell!
Staging is positioning your home to be at the top of the buyer's list.
Properly staged homes outshine the competition every time!
Home Staging is about creating the image of a lifestyle and living space that buyers cannot resist. Potential buyers connect with a home emotionally. Every potential buyer needs to be able to imagine wanting to live in this house.
The Evelyn Bruder Dream Team will provide you with a free consultation with a staging expert, and personally assist you to make your home show to its best advantage.
Staging is a proven method to sell homes faster and for more money.
Use the following links to see the details:
First impressions are crucial.
Buyers begin judging your home the moment they see it. Their impression starts at the curb, and continues through every room of your home, and into the backyard. Buyers want homes that are well-maintained, clean, and clutter-free. That's why the improvements that you will make during the staging process, are all designed to anticipate the wants and needs of buyers, and why staging sells homes faster and can boost your selling price.
Which house says "keep on driving" vs. " Show me this house"?
What the Buyer sees when they open the door
is the picture of this whole home in the buyer's mind!
The Buyer must be able to imagine moving in here.
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If you are preparing your home for sale, it must be in peak showing condition.
There are three kinds of improvements that will impress buyers, and help you sell for top market value:
- Repairs and Minor Upgrades
- Renovations
- Reorganization and Maintenance
The "staging" that most people think about is the Reorganization and Maintenance step. These are actually the finishing touches after an Inspection is done, and any necessary Repairs, Upgrades and Renovations have been completed. The remainder of this Staging Section is a discussion of each of these steps in some detail. At the bottom of this page we have provided extensive reference materials for you.
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Start with the most important things first.
Pay for a Pre-listing Home Inspection. This will definitely give you a competitive advantage in two ways.
1. When a buyer is deciding which home to buy, your pre-listing inspection signals your openness about the condition of your house. You cared enough to be sure that whoever buys this home is going to be satisfied with the home, and that you have made all of the necessary repairs. Clean up, paint up, and fix up everything - inside and outside. You will have reassured the discriminating buyer that there should be no unpleasant surprises when they buy your home. Your home has a definite edge in its marketing, and a competitive edge over other homes that potential buyers are looking at.
2. The cost of the Inspection is outweighed by the financial advantage for home sellers to make important repairs either themselves, or have the time to negotiate a good price with appropriate repairmen, and not have to reduce the sales price for the buyer. If needed repairs are discovered later by the buyer, then the seller could easily be placed in the position of having to have that repair done at the last minute at a higher cost, or worse, have to negotiate the sales price downward due to a repair left un-done. Typically the buyer will decrease his price two to three dollars for every $1 of identified repairs.
This is an important subject and you can find additional details in Seller Resources Article:"Advantages of a Pre-Listing Home Inspection"
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Renovations
Depending on the age and condition of your home, you may need to consider the possibility of doing some renovations. You should only consider the ones that are Market-Smart. Generally, few home owners renovate their homes in order to sell them because they know they won't recoup the full cost of the renovations in the sales price. However, in some cases minor renovations can really improve the overall impression of a property's character and quality and, as such, will more than pay for themselves.
Kitchen - New flooring, cabinets, counter tops, appliances and lighting can be costly, but buyers typically look for updated kitchens, and you'll recover a large percentage of your expenses on resale. Even a minor facelift - for instance, new paint, floor covering, cabinet doors and hardware - can pay off in a faster sale at a better price.
Bathrooms - As with the kitchen, renovating bathrooms can pay off in terms of both value and marketability, especially in an older house. Opt for good lighting, large mirrors, attractive fixtures and materials, plenty of storage and neutral colors.
Landscaping - Remember "First Impressions." Landscaping, patios and decks should be attractive, trimmed and maintained. Add some color and make sure it is clutter- free. Improvements to landscaping in front and back generally return 100% of their costs, and are worth every penny in the impression they leave.
Energy-Efficient Improvements - With everyone "going green" these days, energy-saving upgrades and repairs that reduce fuel bills can be a selling point. There are many options, so do some research and talk to a home products professional to find those improvements that best fit your plans and budget.
There are two important rules: don't over-renovate, and be careful not to make renovations which please you personally, but which might turn off otherwise interested buyers
This is an important subject and you can find additional details in Seller Resources Article:"15 home improvements tips to get the maximum return in your sales price"
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Reorganization and Maintenance
We can't SELL it, if we can't SEE it!
"Clean up- Paint up - Fix up, Buyers need to SEE it
If they have to imagine it - they won't consider it!
Offering credit at closing is not the same.
This is what most sellers and buyers think of as "Staging." This step is crucial in determining whether your home will sell quickly, or very slowly, and at a much lower price than expected.
The Investment of staging your home is LESS than your first price reduction! You can do almost everything that needs to be done, and with very little out-of-pocket expense. We can help \ guide you with things you should, and should not do.
Seeing is believing. Over 80% of buyers today research the Internet to see which homes will make it to their "must-see" list!
We assist you by having internet dominance, and we provide potential buyers with professional quality photos and videos of your home. It is how you stage your home that determines how the photos look to the potential buyer, and whether your home gets shown.
Showings = Offers = Sales
YOU MUST:
1. De-cluttering: Clutter can be one of the most distracting aspects of showing a house. Instead of a buyer focusing on the unique architectural details of your room, they focus in on your trinkets and trash. Clutter EATS Equity!
Clutter = chaos = anxiety.
Staged homes with fewer things translates to Calmness and Tranquility.
Can You Picture Yourself
Working In This Cluttered Office?
Well, Neither Can A Potential Buyer!
2. De-personalizing: A few carefully chosen knick-knacks and family portraits may add warmth and character -- too many are a distraction. Anything that interferes with prospective buyers' ability to see themselves living in your home should be eliminated.
3. Furniture: Less is more. Large, oversized furniture can makes rooms look smaller than they are. The converse is true as well. Small furniture in large rooms looks disproportionate.
4. Keep rooms true to their purpose: You may have your dining room set up as an office or a second bedroom set up as a craft room, but buyers need to see homes true to their purpose. They want to see the formal dining room that was advertised on the MLS. They want to see 2 bedrooms, not one and a craft room.
5. Proper lighting: Good lighting makes everything look better. CFL lights in "daylight" color makes rooms look light and bright even during the evening hours. Be sure all rooms are well lit, including laundry rooms, garages, and closets.
6. Keep it neutral: It is much easier to imagine putting your mark on a neutral room than it is to imagine yourself living in someone else's Moroccan paradise. Paint is relatively inexpensive. Play it safe and pick out neutral tones.
7. Fresh flowers: It's all about things smelling fresh and clean. Flowers add life and fragrance to a room! Add little touches. A well-placed vase of flowers, accent pieces or potpourri in the bathroom can enhance the attractiveness of your home in subtle ways. Look through home magazines for additional ideas.
Greenery also Brings Life into a Room!
8. Removing Odors: All traces of food, pet and smoking odors must be eliminated. Even when you're sure they're gone, remove your pets, ashtrays and other clues from the home. If buyers know that you smoke or that you have a dog, they may imagine odors and see stains that don't even exist. If we can smell it - We can't sell it!
9. Thorough Cleaning: Clean from top to bottom. The basics mean having dishes and laundry done. Deep cleaning means cleaning carpets, removing stains, and scrubbing that bathroom until it sparkles.
Clean = "Q-tip Clean"! Inside and Out. Scrub bathroom faucets, stoves, ovens, door handles, electric switch plates, etc.
10. Staged Dining Area: You can really make a room pop by setting a formal place setting. Outdoor dining spaces also look great set with placemats, chargers, and proper plates and glasses..
11. Hotel Inspired Bedrooms: Boutique hotels do a great job of making bedrooms feel luxurious. You can do the same by updating your bedding and having a liberal use of pillows.
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References
All of the things that we have discussed here are so important that we want to provide you with a number of references that you can download right now to assist you in carrying out all of the recommendations of your profession staging consultation.
- 450 Ideas to help your home sell faster
Is our personal encyclopedia of staging. It covers every area of your home and what must be done. It has checklists, hints, resources and reference materials.
