When I work with clients to put a home on the market, we want to put our best foot forward for a quick and easy sale that generates top dollar. Susan Farcy of Susan Farcy Interior Design and Luci Terhune of Bungalow Home Staging and Design are two home stagers that I work with regularly who do spectacular work to help you maximize the value of your home. I recently sat down with Susan and Luci to get their perspectives on home staging, and because they arrive at the end result through completely different methods, they both offer valuable tips to home sellers.
Susan stages occupied homes, meaning homes where people live during the process of selling the property. For these sellers, there are a few key tips to follow in order to get the home presentable for showings. Maximize
- Declutter, then declutter again. Scan every room and make a plan to tackle decluttering. The first thing a potential buyer sees are the pictures online, so the cleaner they are, the more appealing the home will look. You have to get rid of almost everything, so start by removing family photos, knickknacks, magazines, and anything else that personalized the home. You need to take “you” out of the home to allow the buyer to picture it as their own.
- Make it easy with a clean slate. Once pictures are taken down, fill the empty holes and repaint the walls with light colors for the unopinionated palate. A fresh coat of paint can do wonders to refresh the home. Clean walls mean less work for potential buyers, which makes the property much more appealing.
- Deep clean in places long forgotten about. Surface cleaning is great, but it won’t do the trick for the eagle-eyed home buyer. Make sure to thoroughly clean easily forgettable spots like light switches, molding, and kitchen cabinets. It is also important to keep all of your closets and pantries tidy. A few tricks to make things easier is to pack all out-of-season clothes and put away that Costco card for a while. Only buy what you need and keep everything organized so the pantry isn’t packed.
- Rearrange your furniture for an easy flow. Symmetrical arrangements in the living room generally work well. Be sure to pull your furniture off the walls for an inviting look. If you have books on bookcases, they should be organized well to strike to balance between a clean and lived in home.
For home sellers looking for a hands-off approach, there are professionals like Luci who specialize in staging empty homes. Luci’s insight on staging empty houses has helped countess sellers maximize the value of their home.
- Call in a professional. If you plan on moving out of your home before putting it on the market, you should consult with a staging professional to get advice on what improvements need to be made and to discuss what rooms should be staged. During this consultation, a professional home stager will give you advice on what you need to do to get your home ready for market. Most stagers that are in the vacant market usually carry inventory for whatever your home may need, making this truly a hands-off staging experience.
- Fill it up! Empty houses usually take longer to sell. Buyers may think that you’re in a rush to sell and therefore present a lower offer. An unfurnished room tends to look smaller and can also show more flaws of the home. By working with a staging professional to fill each room, you create an atmosphere where potential buyers can see the full potential of the home.
- Create a lifestyle through design. To curate a look, your staging professional listens to sellers and also knows market demands and what the house needs. They will take all focal points into account and select a look based on price point and area of the home. By creating a lifestyle through design, the property will appeal to the target buyer by allowing them to mentally “unpack” in your home.
- Leave no stone unturned. The stager will make sure that every detail of your home is updated, even in places you hadn’t considered. They will recommend switching out light fixtures, maintaining your lawn and selecting just the right paint colors to present the home in the best possible way.
Still on the fence about staging? The National Association of Realtors said that staging a home increased the dollar value offered between 1%-5% compared to other similar homes on the market that aren’t staged. We often see a much higher increase, so don’t hesitate to reach out to start the process.
About Maryanne Elsaesser
Maryanne Elsaesser is known for individualized strategic planning and solving complex matters with calmness. Her clients say she is a “brilliant negotiator,” tenacious, helpful, smart, creative, focused and has an amazing ability to read people. Consistent hard work put’s Maryanne in the top 1% of Brokers in the country. Maryanne is well-versed in contractual elements and understands the intricacies of navigating the most profitable net gain in each transaction. She can be reached at 551.206.9264 or [email protected].
