The real estate market often fluctuates, so sellers must learn to time their sales to make the most profit. Predicting when selling a home is most beneficial can be challenging, and most sellers cannot be flexible. They often must sell the house as quickly as possible for a fair price to finance their next move.
One of the most effective strategies for attracting potential buyers is to stage the home. The Real Estate Staging Association knows that furniture rental or fresh flowers in the primary bedroom can help a home sell faster. Let’s talk about why home staging is essential for successfully selling your own home.
What is Home Staging?
The staging process makes the home more appealing to potential buyers. If a property is beaten up, unclean, or cluttered, it will be tough to attract these buyers with property photos or open houses. Potential buyers can easily picture their furniture in a mostly empty home or imagine where to put their family photos.
The Goals of Home Staging
There are numerous reasons to focus on your staging efforts when selling your home. Staged homes can highlight the properties’ best features, such as architectural details, increasing buyers’ interest.
It can also create an emotional connection between the buyer and the home. Most homeowners use staging services that utilize key strategies, such as brightening vacant homes with floral arrangements or painting the front door a soothing color to invoke a tranquil feeling.
By staging a home to be visually appealing, you can maximize the home’s value and attract better offers. Lastly, a home stage can help facilitate a faster home sale process since buyers will be more likely to submit offers quickly.
Key Elements of Home Staging
Staging is not just about making the home look neat. Many elements must be considered when preparing the property for personal photos, online listings, open houses, and scheduled showings. Here are a few key principles to remember when determining your home staging strategy.
Decluttering and Depersonalizing
Decluttering a home makes it easier for potential buyers to picture themselves living in it. Many homeowners rent a storage unit for a flat fee to store personal items. While you don’t want an empty space like you see in vacant homes, it is important to declutter and remove any of your belongings from the entire home.
Clear the surfaces, organize the closets, remove excess furniture, and remove personal items from the home so prospective buyers are not distracted from the property. Remember to declutter children’s rooms and storage spaces, too.
Cleaning and Repairs
A tidy home is far more appealing to potential homebuyers than a messy one. Therefore, a deep cleaning may be necessary before taking pictures or hosting open houses. Clean all surfaces, including carpets, windows, and appliances.
If necessary repairs are needed, such as holes in the wall, leaky faucets, or ugly paint patches, they should be fixed before the sales process begins. Make minor repairs, such as fixing squeaky hinges and tightening loose cabinet knobs. Small changes can help you get top dollar for your house.
Furniture and Decor
Furniture and decor play a significant role in making the home appealing. Rearranging furniture can open the room up, make the home seem more spacious, and maximize flow. Add decor throughout the house, such as artwork, rugs, or throw pillows. Use neutral colors that appeal to a wider range of potential buyers.
Lighting and Ambiance
Many sellers underestimate the impact of lighting. Natural light should be prioritized when taking photos and when hosting showings. A well-lit space also appears larger. Maximize natural light by opening the curtains and blinds. Use lamps and other lighting sources to create an inviting atmosphere.
DIY Home Staging vs. Hiring Professional Stagers
Home staging costs can be tricky, but staging helps homes sell faster. Although it may cost money to stage the home, it is often worth the cost if it means more offers at higher prices. However, staging increases the upfront costs of selling the house. The two primary options are DIY staging and professional staging.
DIY Staging
If you want to stage the home yourself for a lower cost, it is essential to understand DIY tips. Some of the above elements can help you stage your house effectively, but you should also do more research.
Your real estate agent could offer valuable insight due to their house-selling experience. If you choose this approach, you can save money and add your personal touch to the home’s aesthetics.
Professional Staging Services
Hiring professional stagers is far more expensive. You may end up paying thousands of dollars to have the whole home arranged by a professional home stager. However, it will mean less work for you and a greater chance of attracting better offers.
You can rely on home staging professionals to do a good job because of their expertise, objective perspective on the property, and access to resources like new furniture and decor.
If a full professional staging company is too expensive, you could hire them to focus on a few critical rooms for partial staging, such as the entryway, kitchen, family room, and master bedroom. You could also save money by investing in an initial consultation.
How Home Staging Impacts The House Sale
First-time sellers may wonder why staging even matters. Does making the home look far more appealing impact the sales process? Here are a few benefits you will experience if you make the house look move-in-ready.
Increased Buyer Interest
Buyer interest is key when selling real estate. If no one wants your property, the financial burden of owning it continues, and you may have to drop the price after a while. Staged homes attract buyer interest far more effectively because they look move-in ready. If buyers can see photos of a property and visualize their future home, they are more likely to schedule a showing.
Faster Sale
Staged homes sell faster than non-staged homes. Even with a good real estate agent, the house’s visual appeal is the driving factor behind buyer interest and strong offers. If you invest in full-service or virtual staging, more buyers’ agents will reach out to schedule showings and eventually submit offers, resulting in a faster sales process.
Higher Selling Price
Home staging makes it easier to profit from a higher sale price. Buyers are willing to pay more for a home that looks neat and ready to move in. This could lead to a bidding war between different buyers, increasing the price.
Although it will take work to arrange your existing furniture, add decor, and potentially pay for real estate professionals to stage the home, it could be a worthwhile investment when you see the profits from the sale.
Home Staging and Cash Home Buyers
Deciding how to stage your home is a big decision that can cause stress and financial challenges. If you want to save money and avoid all the work of preparing a home for sale, sell it to cash buyers like A-List Properties. We buy houses in Texas as is, so there is no need to clean, repair, or stage the property.
Call us today at 972-526-7042 or complete the online form to request a free, all-cash offer from A-List Properties.
Zach Shelley
Zach Shelley is a seasoned real estate investor with a diverse network spanning across the nation. As the founder of his own real estate venture, Zach is committed to offering innovative solutions to homeowners facing various real estate challenges.. Through his dedication and strategic approach, Zach continues to make a significant impact in the real estate industry, providing homeowners with alternative pathways to navigate their property transactions.
