 Everyone has heard the cliché you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Nowhere do those words mean more than when you're selling your home.
A potential buyer begins to form an opinion about your home from the moment they first see it. It is up to you to make sure their first impression is a favorable one.
The best way to do that is to take the time to prepare your home for market. This process is called staging. You can do it yourself, or you can hire a professional designer or "stager" to help you. The idea is to maximize your home's potential by accentuating positive features and appealing to the widest possible range of buyers. The goal of staging is to sell your house as quickly as possible and for the highest possible selling price. All houses, regardless of price, age or location, can benefit from home staging.
Getting Started
To begin the home staging process, you must complete a thorough analysis of your entire property to determine what areas should be highlighted or improved upon. Professional designers or stagers usually charge $50 - $100 an hour, and they will typically schedule at least a two-hour initial consultation with you. During this time, they will evaluate your entire property and provide you with a written report and recommendations for changes you can make to your home to more effectively market it to buyers.
If hiring a professional is not in your budget, ask a friend or your real estate agent to help you analyze your home yourself. No matter with whom you work, you must not take constructive criticism of the property personally. Remember, selling a home is a financial transaction, and your goal is to maximize the return on your investment. If you do not set aside your emotional attachment to your home, you will not be able to effectively prepare your house for market.
A good way to start your analysis is to put yourself in the place of a potential buyer. Approach your house from the street, and imagine that you are seeing it for the first time. What do you notice first? Is it the beautiful bay window in the front of the house? Or is the window hidden behind overgrown shrubs? Is your eye drawn to the way the walkway curves gracefully to the front door? Or do you notice the kids' bicycles lying in the driveway?
All of these items are crucial first impressions made by a potential buyer before they ever enter your house. If your property does not appeal to a buyer on the outside, they may not bother to come inside and look around. It is called curb appeal, and it can make or break the sale of your house.
As you walk around your property, take notes of all the items that you think should be cleaned up, spruced up, painted, removed or replaced on the outside of the house. It may require a few days of work and an investment in some paint and supplies, but the result will be well worth the effort when a buyer drives by and simply has to see the inside of your beautiful home for sale.
Moving On In
Once you have completed a walkthrough of the outside of your property, enter your home through the front door and perform the same analysis on the inside. What do you notice here? Again, imagine you are seeing your home for the first time. Does the house smell fresh and clean, or do pet or food odors linger in the air? Is the carpet in good condition, or is it worn and stained? Do the rooms feel spacious and comfortable, or are they a hodgepodge of furniture and accessories?
As you walk through your house, look for ways to maximize light and space. It may be as simple as opening up draperies or as involved as tearing down upper cabinets that separate a kitchen from a family room.
Also, take note of features that date the home to a specific period, such as harvest gold appliances or rust shag carpeting. Most likely, you will recoup more than you spend replacing outdated features when you sell the house, and the impact on a buyers' first impression is immeasurable. Just be sure to keep the replacements neutral and consistent with other updates in the house.
Another goal of staging is to depersonalize a house in order to appeal to the broadest range of buyers possible. Singles and childless couples do not want to be confronted by your kids' photographs and artwork every time they turn a corner. Nor does a buyer want to know what is on your grocery list by looking at your refrigerator door. As you complete your walk-through, make notes of personal photographs and mementos that can be packed in anticipation of your move.
As with the outside, you should also be looking for any repairs that can be quickly and inexpensively made to the inside of the house. Nail holes should be patched and painted, tiles fixed, carpets cleaned and squeaky hinges oiled. Make a detailed list of repairs needed for each room in the house and post it on the door to the room. As the work is completed, cross it off the list so that everyone in the family knows it has been done.
Pack Your Bags
Nobody enjoys packing, but it is necessary for every move. The sooner you start, the easier it is. As an added benefit, packing many of your belongings in advance of putting your home on the market can actually increase its value. That's because the single biggest thing you can do to better market your home is to cut the clutter.
Potential buyers have to be able to envision their own belongings in a space. Do not assume that they will be able to see past your collectibles and memories to the good bones beneath. Keep accessories on tables and mantles to a minimum. Pack up books and paperwork and place them neatly in the basement or garage. Or better yet, rent a storage space to store the things you do not need every day, such as out of season clothing and holiday decorations.
Do not try to stash everything in your closets. Potential buyers perceive packed closets as a lack of storage space. The same goes for furniture, too. Your old recliner may be a comfortable spot for reading, but it probably takes up a lot of space in your living room, and it may not be in the best condition. Edit and rearrange the furniture in your rooms to create an open feeling. Even a large space can feel cramped if it is filled with too much furniture.
This is also a good time to take stock of your furniture and accessories to decide what pieces are really worth the time and effort to move with you. If you decide a piece does not work in your existing space, chances are good it will not work in your new home either. Rather than storing excess furniture and accessories, you could donate it away to someone who really needs it. Or have a yard sale and use the money you earn to purchase materials and supplies to complete the staging process.
Clean Sweep
Once you are done rearranging, packing and repairing, it is time to clean, clean and clean some more. Your home should be spotless, from ceilings to floors, from windows to doors. If you can see it
you should clean it. That goes for the outside of your house as well as the inside. And don't forget about basements and garages. Nothing can turn off a prospective buyer like a dark and dingy basement or a garage floor covered with oil stains.
Finishing Touches
Finally, do not underestimate the value of finishing touches when staging your home for a showing or open house. Image all the things you would do to make your guests feel welcome if you were having a party and prepare for your showings the same way.
Scatter vases of fresh cut flowers and lightly scented candles throughout the house. Play soft music and set the dining room table for a dinner party. All of these elements combine to create a warm and inviting atmosphere that potential buyers will not be able to resist. And nothing says home like the scent of a fresh apple pie baking in the oven.
To complete the experience for buyers, personalized thank you cards are a nice touch. Now relax. You've just created a lasting impression of home, and the offers are bound to come rolling in.
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