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According to the most recent report from the National Association of Realtors, buyers’ agents admitted that “staging a home increased the dollar value offered between 1 and 5 percent, compared to other similar homes on the market that [were] not staged.” So, staging your home can really pay off. And once it’s staged, J-Arts Real Estate Photography can create the perfect photo tour to help buyers notice your property.
Ready to find out more? Check out these simple tips to prep your home before the next walkthrough.
Repairs Come First
There’s no point in staging your home to look beautiful if you have a variety of glaring repair issues. Buyers notice everything, and what they don’t see, their real estate agent will. So tend to anything that’s in disrepair yourself or hire out a professional. This can be as simple as fixing a handrail or something more involved like repairing windows or fixing a crack in the ceiling. Make a checklist of everything that needs to be addressed, and then commence with finding the experts for tasks you can’t handle. Search terms like “window leak repair near me” can point you toward an array of professionals. Just be sure that whomever you hire gets top marks, solid reviews and has a solid reputation.
Drop the Baggage, Declutter Next
If you’re selling a home, that generally means you’re also planning on moving. You can save time, energy, and money beforehand by getting rid of the things that crowd your home. You’ve seen the listing photos of homes with clutter on the shelves and countertops; untidy space does not create an open, inviting vibe for visitors. You want people to enter a room and see the potential in each one, not your knick-knacks from every vacation over the past 10 years. There are all sorts of methods you can use to declutter your home. Now is not the time to be materialistic; donate what you can, and make sure you ask organizations if they offer pickup services for large donations. This will save you gas and time.
Be sure to organize whatever odds and ends you decide to keep in your home while it’s on the market. Investing in a few storage bins, especially stylish options that will show well during open houses, is an easy way to hide clutter and add visual appeal for potential buyers.
Make it a Neutral Space
The whole point of an open house or listing photos is to give potential buyers an opportunity to see the space itself, and this is also your chance to emphasize the versatility and character of your home. Depersonalize each and every room, so buyers aren’t distracted by your life.
It’d be hard for anyone to imagine living someplace with walls full of a stranger’s family photos. So, get rid of anything that has your name or personality embedded in it. Photos, instruments, anything with a name — they should all be packed up and ready for your next home. You can’t pile stuff into a closet because buyers will be opening and inspecting everything.
That leaves your walls and shelves somewhat bare, so paint them a neutral color. Keep the décor minimal. Once the clutter is gone and the personal artifacts are in storage, you’ll have plenty of room to make small repairs and prep for staging.
Leave No Stone Unturned While Staging Your Home
In all the confusion of finding neutral décor, don’t forget to show some love to the exterior of your home. If your home has no curb appeal, it doesn’t matter how gorgeously staged the inside is. Make sure you do everything you can to make the outside of the home inviting.
Power wash the outside, clean the windows and make sure the lawn is cut. “An attractive home design and landscaped yard can add thousands to the value of your house and help it sell faster and for more money,” according to StageMyOwnHome. So, consider a paint job, too.
If you do decide to make any significant changes, make sure it will align with the rest of the neighborhood. A property’s value is heightened when it fits in with its surroundings and is easy on the eyes. When checking out the area, take the opportunity to find similar listings nearby and get a better idea of pricing and staging. Find an open house or few and take a look at how other sellers have staged, depersonalized, and decluttered their own property.
Before each and every showing, open house or photoshoot, make sure you consult a checklist of items to go over each time. Your hard work will pay off in the long run if you make your home as welcoming as possible.
Selling a home requires a lot of hard work — you can’t just list the house and hope for the best. However, by following the steps above and working with the experts at J-Arts Real Estate Photography, you can ensure that your home doesn’t stay on the market for very long — and that you receive the price you’re asking for!
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