You’d never go to a job interview without brushing your hair or polishing your shoes, so why not set your home up for success in the same way? Selling a home benefits from attention to detail and proper staging that can impact the way potential buyers experience your property. Whether you’re hiring a professional or want to stage a home yourself, the right choices can help you to sell your home faster and for more money.
Staging your home allows you to maximize appeal by organizing it to showcase its best assets and help potential buyers imagine themselves living there. If you’ve ever watched a real estate video or seen a celebrity home tour, you’ve seen a staged home.
It can be difficult for us to step outside of our own tastes and personal preferences, and an objective perspective can help make your home appealing to more buyers. A great stager mixes design knowledge with insight into human nature and psychology. Home stagers understand how different demographics of people view a potential home, and what they’re looking for in order to make it their own. Certain colours, fabrics, or textures might make most people feel safe or welcome in a way that others don’t. Details that you don’t usually notice, like clutter or an unkempt lawn, could signal a lack of care to a potential buyer. A simple act like putting a crib in what is now the office or fitness room lets potential new families imagine themselves in the space. The idea isn’t to make your home look most appealing to you but rather to step outside of what your home means to you and imagine how someone else might adopt it in a totally different way.
The way a home is presented can say a lot about how it’s maintained and who lives there. We all know you can’t judge a book by its cover, but it’s easy to be influenced by outside packaging. Whoever buys your home is identifying with it personally, and may form a subconscious bias from the first moment they see a photo of it or drive past the front door. Once someone has formed an opinion, it’s difficult to undo their perception. Potential buyers make assumptions about houses before they even see the inside. You only get one chance to make a first impression, so boost curb appeal with a well-manicured lawn, a clean front porch, and these other useful exterior grooming tips:
Showcasing a clean home that looks and smells great is one of the easiest and most important steps when it comes to staging your home. Even if you’re someone who regularly sweeps and cleans, it’s time to take it to the next level.
Getting rid of extra clutter makes your home look spacious and appealing; rooms feel bigger, closets look roomier and that empty space will allow the viewers to imagine themselves living in the home. Remember that decluttering benefits you, too — the less you keep, the less you’ll have to move to your new home.
Potential buyers want to imagine themselves in their new home. That might mean family dinners, evenings curled up on the couch, entertaining guests or working productively in a home office. Since you don’t know what the new buyers will be imagining, set the scene for warm, comfortable living that appeals to most people.
You want your home to appeal to as many people as possible, but the price point or nature of your home may be most appealing to a specific demographic. A condo on the 41st floor at a higher price point should be staged differently than a farmhouse in a quiet rural town. A tiny studio in an urban core likely won’t be housing a whole family and is more likely to be appealing to a single person or a business professional. Likewise, a craftsman cottage by a lake would be suited for more rustic or woodsy staging than a traditional family home. When you stage a home, the lifestyle associated with your property should match the staging.
There are some basics that are consistent with home staging; like great lighting, uncluttered surfaces, and a fresh smell. But the nuances of what a buyer in each market might want are important in getting the most out of your sale. A good agent or home stager will help you understand who might be buying your home and stage it with them in mind. If you’re doing the staging yourself, take a look at homes that recently sold in your area to see how they were staged for inspiration.0
Perhaps you’ve been using the extra room as a spare place for your clutter or kid’s toys, but remember that your buyers might have different intentions. When you stage a home, consider staging an extra room as a home office or a guest suite to suggest possibilities.
Hiring a professional to stage a home isn’t cheap. The cost of hiring an interior staging expert in Canada can range from $1,400-$5,000 depending on the size of your home. But research shows that properly staging a home can drastically decrease the amount of time a house spends on the market and increase a home’s value.
If you’re on a tight budget, there are alternatives to hiring a professional stager, including other professionals that can help improve the look and feel of your home at a lower price.
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This article offers general information only and is not intended as legal, financial or other professional advice. A professional advisor should be consulted regarding your specific situation. While the information presented is believed to be factual and current, its accuracy is not guaranteed and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of the author(s) as of the date of publication and are subject to change. No endorsement of any third parties or their advice, opinions, information, products or services is expressly given or implied by Royal Bank of Canada or its affiliates.
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