Sell Your House for Top Dollar Through Home Staging

So, you decided to sell your house.  You found a great real estate agent and listed it on the market.  You had a few showings but there haven’t been any offers.  So you’ve been waiting, and waiting…and you’re still waiting.  It’s been over 150 days and you’ve reduced the price twice already and are wondering why no offers are coming in.  You are about to reduce the price a third time, thinking third time’s the charm.  BUT WAIT!  There is a better solution – Stage Your House!

Home staging is the secret to getting top dollar for your house in the shortest time.  In a slow housing market, the difference between a house that sells and a house that doesn’t is presentation.  According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a staged house sells for 17% more than a non-staged house.  Not only does a staged house sell for more money, it sells quicker.  A survey by the International Association of Home Staging Professionals found that 94% of staged houses sold on average in 29 days.

So, what exactly is home staging?  While you lived in your house, you probably decorated it.  Home decoration consists of personalizing it to your preferences, including your preferred color, lighting, artwork, etc.  Home staging is the opposite of home decorating.  Whereas home decoration involves personalizing your home, home staging consists of depersonalizing it.

Home decoration is for you and it is based on your tastes; on the other hand, home staging is for the potential buyer and should be based on their tastes.  You don’t know what a particular buyer’s taste is, so your home is staged based on probabilities.  You try to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible.  For example, you may prefer bright red color for your bedroom, an orange wall in your living room, and a green kitchen.  However, once you decide you want to sell your house, you no longer should be thinking of what you like.  Instead, your focus should be on what a potential buyer will prefer.  In this case, you would want to change the color of your bedroom, living room, and kitchen to some neutral color such as off-white or cream.

The goal of home staging is to create a great first impression with the buyer.  Thus, one of the home stager’s first tasks is to improve your house’s curb appeal.  But it doesn’t stop with the first impression.   You want to impress the buyers as they examine the rest of your house, starting with the entryway, through living room, kitchen, bedrooms, and all the way through to the backyard.  The buyers need to be able to visualize themselves living in your house.  And when you stage your house, that is exactly what they’ll be able to do.  A house that is staged well will make the buyers want to move in right away.

So, what are you waiting for?  Talk to your real estate agent about home staging and get your house SOLD!  All the best!

Richa is a home stager and decorator.  You can contact her at richa.bhavsar@gmail.com.  And you can get her tips on staging and decorating on Twitter @StagingByRicha.