Selling Your Home? You Should Dress It For Success! Part One

Making a house more attractive for buyers can help a seller get a better price.

Even in today’s red-hot market, where buyers are fighting tooth and nail for a limited supply of homes, how a property looks — in listing photos and in person — is important. This is where staging comes in. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a seller’s market or a buyer’s market, what staging does is it makes your home more presentable.

Over 40 percent of buyers’ agents said staging had an effect on how most buyers perceived listings, according to the 2021 Profile of Home Staging from the National Association of Realtors. The survey also found that 23 percent of sellers’ agents said staging increased a home’s value by 1 to 5 percent; an additional 18 percent of agents reported an increase of 6 to 10 percent.

What we consistently see, year after year, is that if a home is staged and decorated well, it has a positive impact on buyers. Staging can even make buyers overlook a flaw in a home! More than half of sellers’ agents said that staging greatly or slightly decreased the time that the home was on the market, the survey showed.

The bottom line: Staging can be a smart investment for home sellers. Preparing to put your house on the market? These tips can help your property sell quicker and for more money.

1. Clear Out Clutter

Personal items, like family photos, can make it challenging for buyers to visualize your property as their future home.

Pay attention to closets. Demonstrate you have more space than you need by removing items from closet floors, editing contents by half or less and leaving some shelves empty. But don’t just throw all that clutter in a closet or garage, either. Your home’s storage areas should look spacious. Instead, stow items temporarily in storage units.

2. Bring the Outdoors In

Foliage can add aesthetically pleasing texture to the living space. A few strategically placed plants make accessorizing easy, evoking nature and fresh air. We recommend choosing trending varieties such as succulents, philodendrons and ferns. One decorating approach: Bring height and style to spaces with tall glass vases of three or four statement stems.

If you don’t have a green thumb, zero maintenance artificial plants and flowers are the way to go. Live plants are wonderful, but only if you can take care of them. If not, high quality faux greens are your friends!

3. Brighten Up Your Home

Maximize natural light. Natural light opens up a room, Remove dark window shades, blinds or heavy drapery to let sunshine in. Don’t block windows with furniture.

Another way to brighten a room is to repaint dark colored walls with a cooler, more light-reflective palette. Strategically placed mirrors can also help. Mirrors reflect light, so they’ll make a small space feel bigger.

4. Ace Your First Impression

Staging extends to curb appeal–how your home looks from the outside. Curb appeal is like the red carpet; you only get one first impression!

Accessorize your homes’ front entrance. You usually don’t need anything huge. A couple of planters flanking your front door can make a big impact.

I always stage a home’s foyer, because it’s the first thing buyers see when they step inside your home. A console, where you can drop off your keys and mail, is a nice touch. I also frequently place a mirror in the foyer. There’s a human tendency to look at yourself in a mirror before you walk out your front door. Also, if someone sees their reflection in a mirror, they can literally envision themselves living in your home.

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