Home Staging: 3 Keys to Selling Your Home

There are three keys to selling your home. www.stylishstagers.com Tori Toth, Owner of Stylish Stagers, Inc. shares with you the three keys to selling your home. 

Step One - Prepare the Home on the Inside (Home Staging)
Every home seller is aware of the need to spruce up their home (product) so that it sells, but most are not aware of exactly HOW to do this. In fact, according to the National Association of Realtors, the average staging investment is between 1 and 3 percent of the home's asking price, which generates a return of 8 to 10 percent. Home sellers know they need to spend; they just need professional guidance on what to spend on in order to have the greatest return on investment.

After living in a home for more than 2 years, it is almost impossible to "objectively" view the space from a buyer's perspective and thus spend your staging budget wisely. The elements of the home that may have annoyed us originally, we no longer notice. Our homes are like our children: we are filled with sentiment about them, so that objectively altering them to fit a buyer's perspective becomes nearly impossible.

So what does a home seller do to view the home objectively and get the most from their staging budget? Hire a professional home stager who is an expert at marketing the inside of a home, so that buyers emotionally respond to each space. Buyers Need to FEEL HOME in Your Home before Making an Offer...Successful staging is the art of using marketing and decorating techniques to create an environment that buyers can aspire to: "If I buy this house, I can live like this." 

Step Two -- Get the Word Out (Marketing Campaign)
Did you know that according to the National Association of Realtors over 80% of homebuyers are ONLINE looking at photos of the homes FIRST, before they decide to drive by and visit? Make those photos count by doing these simple photo-taking strategies:
1. Turn on ALL the lights -- People want light and bright!
2. Take TONS of photos- Review the photos on your computer to choose the best grouping considering that MORE is better
3. Take OFF the Flash -- Try the photos with and without the flash for better lighting choices
4. Review the Shot - View the Room through the digital viewer for imperfections that are missed to the naked eye (ie. sheets sticking out, dirty window glare, etc.)
5. Take all ANGLES
Your real estate agent is adept at listing your home in all the venues that homebuyers are looking at in your area. Remember to think like a homebuyer and go online to review your listing. Does it visually have appeal and stand out among similar priced homes in your area? If not, go back to Step One and Two to either increase the home's attraction or consider lowering Step Three.

Step Three - Price the Home Right the First Time
Your real estate agent is an expert on the marketplace and at reading and understanding comparables.

Statistically, a home that "sits" loses its new listing buzz and ends up settling for a lower price down the road. In fact, according to a National Association of Realtors survey, the longer a home stays on the market, the further below list price it drops. Homes that sold in the first 4 weeks averaged 1 percent more than the list price; 4 to 12 weeks averaged 5 percent less; 13 to 24 weeks averaged 6.4 percent less than the list price; and 24 weeks averaged more than 10 percent less than list price. Research the homes for sale in your area and talk with your agent about introducing your home at a price that will encourage potential buyer traffic because the first two steps to selling your home will be sure to promote offers. For more information on home staging contact Tori Toth at tori@stylishstagers.com.