7 Tips for Effective Home Staging

Here at Southern Dream Homes, we pride ourselves on being your partner through every step of the selling process. From listing your property to introducing you to buyers and everything in between, we’re here to make sure you go from “FOR SALE” to “SOLD” in the shortest amount of time possible and with the most possible profit. With that said, here are the top 7 ways you can help your home to fly off the market:

1. Attract them from Afar

Your property needs to knock buyers’ socks off from the moment they start viewing it. As they approach your home for the showing, the first impression determines if they’ll continue inside or simply drive by and give your agent the “No thank you” phone call. Buyers need to be impressed and attracted to your home from the moment they lay eyes on it. It should call them inside with great landscaping and a presentable exterior.

2. The Angel Is In the Details

Are those light bulbs in the dining area still out? Have you been putting off tightening those hinges on the front door? You don’t want to attract the buyer into the home only to disappoint them with the details. Before your home showing you’ll need to go through every inch of your property to make sure all repairs are made. Purchasing a home is a very large investment and the buyers (and probably their representation as well) will scour yours with a fine toothed comb. You should beat them to it.

3. Dirt is Bad. Clean is Good.

Don’t just clean your home. Polish it. The error many sellers make in showing their home is doing a “one-over” cleaning, but, to sell a home you’ll need to roll up those sleeves and get to work. Find all of the areas inside AND outside of your home that could use a good scrub or polish and make it happen. Some sellers even hire professional cleaning services. The bottom line is no one wants to buy a new car if the tires are dirty.

4. The Illusion of More Space

It’s not just about the amount of space the home has. The buyers are already aware of the square footage at this point. What they’re looking for is how the space is used. This is very key because the wrong colors and furniture setup can make a large room like much smaller. Stay away from dark wall colors (particularly black) and constricting furniture arrangements. It’s also best to use natural lighting to make the room feel “airy”. Open those curtains and let the sunshine in!

5. Cater to All 5 Senses

Homes aren’t sold if only one of the five senses is pleased. A beautiful steak that smells bad won’t get eaten and one that smells great but looks unpleasant will suffer the same fate. As a seller you’ll need to master the art of charming a buyer. It’s the sight of your home that will lure them in and, once inside, they should be greeted with a wonderful fragrance and even some soft music. They both should be subtle yet noticeable and inoffensive. Lavender scents and classical music usually work best.

6. Know Your Home’s Strengths

Homes are like people. They all have an individual personality including certain strengths and opportunities. You’ll want to know how your home excels and highlight those features to prospective buyers. Be sure to spend extra time in certain areas that really showcase the uniqueness of your property and really “talk up” why you love them. Make the buyer feel what you feel. Remember this is still your home (for now) and you should be willing to make them love it as you have for so long.

7. Goodbye Kitty

Pets are great, but, not for selling a home. Not every prospective buyer will be a fan of Fido or Kitty. In fact, simply knowing that one resides in the home is sometimes enough to turn a buyer off. Also remember that some buyers may actually be allergic to certain animals. If you have a pet be sure to do a very thorough cleaning of the pet’s area so that there is no immediate evidence (hair or odor) of the animal. Obviously, you’ll also want to have friends pet-sit for a couple days. Buyers that leave your home needing an antihistamine shot probably won’t return.

Have The Right Team On Your Side

Following these simple 7 steps when staging your home will put you in a great position to sell your home infinitely faster and you’ll even be able to justify a higher asking price in a lot of cases. Staging a home can be a serious undertaking, but, can work wonders if done correctly. At Southern Dream Homes we are