Staging Tips on Merchandising Your Home in Today’s Competitive Market
By Connie Williamson
Although the economy is in crisis, many people are taking advantage of a very competitive housing market to find good buys on all types of homes. There are great deals out there for buyers but they need to act quickly as well priced, well presented properties are selling fast. Staged homes generate more sales and sell faster than homes that haven’t been staged.
You want to be sure your property is ready to attract the attention of a good number of these buyers. So, how do we make the home stand out? How do we get attention in this crowded market?
Take a few tips from experts in selling and look no further than your local retail stores. You may not have noticed all the things they do to enhance the customer buying experience as many of them are rather subtle; but, every successful retail store tries to increase the perceived value of the items they sell. You want to do this with your property.
So what is value? It’s more than the listing price of the home. When thinking of value as it applies to most people, it is defined as: worth, excellence, usefulness, or importance. In applying this to what prospective buyers perceive when viewing your home, you want to know - what it is your viewer’s value.
What Do Buyers Value?
Worth: Buyers want to feel they are getting a good deal, make sure the listing price is not inflated. Don’t overprice thinking someone will bargain you down to the price you think your home is worth, consult with a reliable home evaluator or real estate agent to determine the most realistic listing price. You want to present the home so the buyer perceives they are getting value higher than that listed price, but that you are still getting a good return.
Excellence: They want cleanliness, spaciousness and a property that looks like it has been well cared for. You need to present the home as one that has always had loving care both inside and out.
Usefulness: Everything should be in working order. Do all your systems work properly? Are the furnace filters and vents all clean? Toilets, showerheads and taps all leak-free with good water pressure? Viewers try out everything and don’t want to have to do any fix-ups before moving in.
Importance/Prestige: the home fits buyers’ ideal image of how they want to be seen and thought of by others. You want them to think that if they own this home it will elevate their position in life.
How Do We Influence the Buyers’ Perception?
Think again of the successful retail outlet, it’s uncluttered, tastefully decorated, clean and bright. Every display is focused on the purpose of the items on view. You don’t see a computer in the bathroom fixtures display, it’s the same for your home - make sure each room is displaying furnishings and accessories that suit the room’s purpose: bedrooms should create an environment for a relaxing, calm sleep, so get the computer out of there.
Back to the retail store. If you look carefully, you’ll see they always appeal to the senses of sight, touch, sound and smell. The best stores give a feeling of spaciousness with tasteful colours and no clutter in sight.
- Get rid of all personal photos, trophies, collections and declutter the entire home, pack up extra clothing, out of season clothes and sports equipment.
- Chipped paint on door frames and walls may not be noticeable when you’ve lived with them for awhile, buyers will spot those flaws right away. A new coat of paint is not too costly; choose neutral colors for a brand new look.
- Make sure your lighting is good, new fixtures aren’t that expensive and will add value to any room. Replace old bulbs with new power saving LEDs
- And yes, viewers will feel your towels and drapes, be sure they get a luxurious experience when they touch your squeaky clean counters, thick fluffy towels and clean drapes.
- Get rid of any pets that may bark when visitors enter. All pets should be out of the home temporarily or boarded out when you are showing a property.
- Have someone come in and sniff around the house, you don’t want any odors present and it’s hard to smell them yourself when you are used to them. Smoke from cigarettes, cat boxes, pets, strong cooking odors or garbage/wastebasket scents are an immediate turnoff for any buyer. No matter how nice the place looks, they won’t be able to get past the smell.
The most interest in a property is generated within the first week of listing; never list your property before you’ve staged it properly. In order to encourage many buyers to come for viewings, get the staging done and then have professional pictures taken of the property inside and out. The listing pictures need to focus on the best features of the home, your listing pictures must have that ‘pop’ that entices buyers to take a look.
After all, this is a big transaction, a lot of money rests on having the home sell for a good price. You don’t want to nickel and dime yourself when you begin to prepare your home for sale. Only the best marketing tactics will allow you to succeed in this competitive market.
When real estate agents team up with home staging professionals, it’s a win-win situation. By combining the expertise of a real estate professional with that of the home staging experts, sellers have access to all the knowledge, contacts, tools and resources to take a home from okay to wow on any list. This will give the property an edge in today’s competitive market.
About The Author
For more information on home staging please visit Serenity Redesign at http://www.serenityredesign.com, or contact Serenity's home staging expert, Connie Williamson at (780) 417-9521 or connie@serenityredesign.com.
