Setting the Stage to Sell Your Home
By: Matt Johnson, Content Editor/Writer | April 11, 2007
Today’s Wiki Wednesday Feature: Staging Your House
As anyone who has sold a home can attest, there is a lot more to the process than just hammering a "For Sale" sign in your front yard. (Don’t believe me? Take a look at our Seller’s Roadmap.) And whether you go at it alone or hire a real estate agent, there is an emotional component to selling that often gets overlooked: it may look like four walls and a roof to somebody else, but if those walls could talk…
Actually, they do talk, and so does the rest of your house. Prospective home buyers are like sensory sponges — they start soaking up the vibe of a house from the moment they pull up to the curb. They don’t care that your son took his first steps in the living room — they’re busy trying to imagine what memories your house might have in store for them. The trick, then, is to help them imagine living The Good Life — and unless you’re Martha Stewart, staging your home is the way to go.
As the article points out, staging goes way beyond making sure the house is tidy and the lawn is mowed. In addition to a meticulous cleaning, common staging practices include putting into storage large furniture that can make a room look cramped, replacing low-wattage light bulbs with brighter ones, and stocking the linen closet with new (matching!) towels and sheets. And fresh linens don’t just look good, they smell good. (Remember, prospective buyers have noses as well as eyes.)
There are even professional staging companies that will bring in furniture, artwork, plants, rugs, lawn ornaments, etc. to make a house shine while it’s being shown. But no matter how much help you get, it pays to give your whole property one last look before opening your door to the public. See the "Real Life Examples" section at the end of the article for some unpleasant surprises that would not have improved the odds of a quick sale.
Ed: Wiki Wednesdays is a weekly feature that highlights helpful or interesting articles from the Real Estate Guide.
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Cory Lerner on April 12, 2007 3:22 pm
As a former stager/ASP, I’m always surprised at the number of people who don’t think how their home looks to others when they are listing. They may leave the toilet seat up, garbage in bedroom and bathroom, trash baskets and piles of clutter. Don’t get me wrong - my home is full of this kind of stuff, but it’s not up for sale.
Staging is all about getting rid of the clutter and personal items so that the prospective buyer can imagine themselves in that home.
Good advice - sometimes it’s not enough for realtors to advise their clients or the client thinks the realtor or stager is too picky. Maybe seeing it in writing in another form such as your blog will help it sink in.
onlinewalkthru on April 13, 2007 7:08 am
Excellent points. My company specializes in video productions for luxury homes. It never ceases to amaze that certain homeowners and listing agents put so little effort into preparing a property for shooting. Others however, are clearly ready for visitors and it shows. In NYC, staging professionals are easy to find and in the current market climate, an invaluable resource.
In addition, for those worried about the cost of staging, many of these pros offer the option of just calling them in for a consultation (for a reasonable fee). They will give some very helpful pointers without the added cost of having them do the actual work.
Colin on May 2, 2007 11:14 am
I agree that was a good article, but Drew left out one very important aspect to consider when staging: the walls. Adding wall art, printings, or other art work to otherwise empty walls adds a significant amount to the overall appearance of the room. Properly placed wall art can brighten and liven up rooms, even lengthen smaller rooms or add more depth to narrow ones. Just as important is the type and style of the artwork. Everyone has their own tastes, but classic pieces maintain their appeal. There are a few sites popping up that sell this kind of art. One in particular, The Art Collectors Guild, does an excellent job. The colors in the pieces are fantastic and the artwork is delivered framed and ready to hang.