Staging your home will help increase your final sales price. On average a seller will receive $2 in increased sales price for every $1 put into staging. Here are five basic rules for staging your home on a budget:
- De-Personalize
Buyers need to picture themselves in their new home, not you. That wedding photo or family pictures may mean the world to you, but to the buyer it is a distraction that will prevent them from seeing a home for their family.
- Maximize
Declutter and maximize space in your home. Closets packed tight with all your clothes make a home looked like it has no closet space. The same goes with rooms full of furniture, it makes buyers feel like the home is too small for their needs. I’d suggest packing unneeded clothes in boxes and store them neatly in an attic space or garage. Consider temporarily storing excess furniture offsite in a storage facility.
- Sanitize
This basic rule is the easiest and cheapest way to stage your home for market- just clean it. A sink full of dirty dishes is as unappealing to a buyer as it is to you and may cause the buyer to wonder what else may not be cared for. It is well worth the elbow grease or paying for a one- time cleaning to make sure floors, walls, baseboards, ceiling fans and windows are clean and shiny.
- Modernize
Unless your home has customized built in appliances, all homes will bring more money by updating appliances, light fixtures and changing out gold bathroom fixtures to nickel or chrome. If a buyer feels a home is dated, it always reflects in a lower offer.
- Neutralize
Colors can make or break a buyer’s interest in your home, so neutralize. You may love that shocking red wall, but all the potential buyer sees is added expense of painting in their future because the paint color clashes with their style. When in doubt, neutralize. Painting is one of the most inexpensive ways to change the look of your home and bring a better sales price.
We hope you find these tips helpful. At the Hamilton Realty Group we offer all of our sellers a complimentary two hour consultation with one of our professional stagers to prepare your home for sale.
Please contact us direct at 910.218.1300 or email us at info@hamiltonrealtygroupnc.com to schedule a free market consultation.
