Staging A Home For Sale

The art of creating a favorable emotional environment

According to industry studies, a home seller has less than two minutes to capture a buyer's attention and the countdown begins from the moment the buyer steps through the front door. Within the first 15 seconds, a buyer forms impressions about a house that will influence everything else he or she sees while in the home.

HOME STAGING - The art of enhancing a home’s appeal to maximize the chances of obtaining top dollar in the least amount of time.

As everyone knows, the three principles of real estate are location, location, location but in residential real estate it is also about emotion, emotion & emotion.

It may come as a surprise to many homeowners but the strongest influence in any home buying decision is emotion . Buyers aren't just looking for a place to live. Instead they're looking to fulfill their dreams and improve their lifestyles. Most home buyers have a vision of their ideal home and the decision of which home to buy is based mostly on feelings and impressions rather than reason and analysis.

The goal of home staging is to prepare a home in a manner that fulfills the buyer's dreams, matches the buyer's expectations and appeals to the buyer's sense of pride.

Buyers expect homes to be staged and often buyers are disappointed, or even annoyed, when they visit a home where the homeowner has made very little effort to prepare the home for sale.

As a home seller, it is in your best interest to do everything you can to have your home stimulate favorable feelings and match the buyer’s expectations.

Buyers want a home of which they can be proud so make sure your home conveys the feeling that you are proud of your home.

In addition, a home is expected to be a quiet, orderly, well-maintained refuge from the outside world. A relaxed environment is important. Distractions and excessive stimulation need to be minimized or eliminated.

In general, home staging calms fears, removes doubts and boosts buyer confidence in the quality of the home.

Home Staging Rules Of Thumb

• Lighten, brighten, organize, unclutter, neutralize & depersonalize.
• Create universal appeal (maximize the home’s appeal to the greatest number of potential buyers).
• Feature the functionality of each area & room in the home.
• Use furniture positioning, lighting and organization to maximize the home’s appeal.

Home staging is not a trick or an attempt to deceive anyone but rather an effort to provide buyers with the positive feelings they need and crave. Once that need is satisfied, buyers will then move on to the decision making process.

Once you place your home on the market, you must realize that your home is no longer simply your residence. It is also the “merchandise” you are trying to sell.

Benefits Of Home Staging

• A home that has been properly staged will practically "sell itself".
• Home staging insures that quality marketing photographs can be taken
• Home staging insures a fair market sale price.
• Home staging insures less time on the market (a quicker sale).

Things To Keep In Mind

• Buyer perceptions are more important than facts
  (Perception is reality)
• You don’t get a 2nd chance to make a good first impression.
• Un-staged homes encourage lowball offers
• If you visited a musty, cramped, cluttered & disorganized retail store with poor lighting,
  how much confidence would you have in the quality of the merchandise in that store?