Introduction
You may be asking yourself how to stage a home to sell fast. In this article, we will discuss practical steps you can take to sell your home fast, and guess what? These steps do not involve spending a lot of money in the process.
Selling your house can be an overwhelming process. Like almost every home seller, you want to sell your home for the highest price possible and as fast as possible. While the prevailing market factors are responsible for determining how much and how fast you can sell your house, there are some things you can do to give your home a competitive edge over others in the market. Home staging is one of those things.
If done right, staging your house can be a fast and cost-effective way to make the maximum of your home. However, you have to pay attention to details in order to get maximum value from staging your home. In this article, we’ll cover all the things you need to know about home staging and how to sell your house fast, as well as what not to do when staging your home.
What is home staging
Home staging is simply your home move-in ready with potential buyers in mind. This is a process that is designed to impress potential buyers the moment they come in. It involves rearranging the furniture, removing or adding furniture, redecorating, deep cleaning, and other strategies to improve the home’s aesthetic value. Of course, you can even do some minor home renovations if you think it will increase the chance of selling your house.
If you indeed decide to do some minor renovations, make sure you order a Virtual Estimate where you will find which renovations will bring you the best ROI, your home’s pre and post-renovation value, as well as money-saving recommendations.
Buyers put a lot of effort into purchasing a home. They review many home listings and make many decisions in split seconds. So, it is necessary to trigger an emotional connection in them by making your home attractive and appealing.
The emotional connection that you build between buyers and your home stands out when they eventually have to choose. This connection helps them visualize themselves living in the house. If it is strong enough and they feel good about the house, they will also feel good about purchasing it.
Why is home staging important
Home staging is crucial for selling your house faster and for a higher price. This recent report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows that as many as 82% of buyers’ attested that staged homes made them visualize themselves living in that house.
Most potential buyers are not just looking for a structure to live in. They want to move into a home that helps them fulfill their dreams and improve their lifestyle. This visualization and the emotional connection inspire a feeling of confidence in their decision to purchase your home.
Most importantly, it could reduce the time your house will spend on the market. This is because a staged home is easier to market. According to another study from the National Association of Realtors, 62% of real estate agents agree that home staging reduces the time a house spends on the market.
With all these benefits, it just makes sense to put in the necessary time and effort into staging your home correctly. Luckily, you do not have to break the bank to stage your house for potential buyers.
If you want to learn what you need to do before selling your home, read our article:
9 Most Important Things You Need to Do Before Selling Your Home
How to prepare for home staging
In preparing your home for staging, you must remember the basics that are necessary when selling a home. These typically include deep cleaning and decluttering.
Deep cleaning and decluttering are essential tasks when preparing to stage your house.
Most buyers don’t like houses that aren’t clean and have been neglected. It can be a turnoff for future home buyers. On the other hand, a clean home is more pleasing to look at, and it gives the potential buyer the impression that it has been properly taken care of. Clean everywhere in the house and pay special attention to the kitchen and bathrooms.
You also want to declutter and depersonalize your house. Clutter can be very distracting for potential buyers, and it makes your home look less spacious. Store away any items that are not needed regularly. Leave only the basics.
Furthermore, you should also put away some of your personal items. Store away most of your clothes, personal photographs, cooking dishes, and leave the bathroom counters empty, except for hand soaps. Depersonalizing helps potential buyers easily visualize the house as theirs.
Redecorate the interior of your home
Home redecorations are a crucial but often overlooked part of the home staging process. Consider taking down your wallpapers if you have them and applying a fresh coat of paint in neutral colors to the wall. It is best to redecorate in a neutral style.
Most people often avoid redecoration because of the challenges that come with them. However, in order to attract as many potential buyers as you can, redecorating is important.
Redecorating is not always difficult, especially with basic areas like your living room, basement, and kitchen.
It is important to plan what items you want to tackle before you start redecorating.
Rearrange your furniture
You may have to add or remove furniture in various rooms in your home or rearrange the position of the existing furniture. Arrange your furniture in groups that feel conversational and cozy.
Ensure that the arrangements allow for the free flow of traffic in the living areas. Go for arrangements that prioritize comfort. This will help these spaces appear more friendly.
Always prioritize neutral colors and cozy materials over strong personal colors and exotic materials. This is especially true if your home is designed in a traditional or transitional style. If your home has been designed in a contemporary or modern style, you may have room for more personalized staging.
Upgrade the curb appeal
Even though any work on the home exterior is not considered part of home staging in the traditional sense, it can be complementary. First impressions matter and that is why any work to increase your home’s curb appeal is essential. Future buyers will see the exterior of your house before going inside. You can easily make a good impression on your buyer before they walk in.
Keep your lawn, trees, and hedges well-trimmed. Wash your windows and clean the walkway thoroughly. You want to clean up the flower beds and add fresh flowers to empty beds. Replace welcome mats, your mailbox, and house numbers if they are old.
You should not forget to stage your yard and check if it is in good condition. If you want to make any minor renovations on the exterior of your house, our Renovation Portal is a great place to start. On this portal, you can get ideas on how to stage your yard, and of course, with our one-of-a-kind sophisticated AI software, you can quickly check the cost of any exterior work. You can also find contractors that will help you execute your plan. And the best part is that you can sign up for free.
If you are interested in how can you increase your home value, here are some tips:
11 Tips to Increase Your Home Value
Professional staging company
If you are stuck at work or just don’t have the time to do the necessary work, hiring a staging company can be a great solution for you. There are many companies that offer these services and can make your home look move-in ready, which can help you sell your home faster.
What not to do when staging your home
After going over all the things you should do when staging your home, there are also some things that you shouldn’t do while staging your home.
One thing you have to keep in mind is not to leave your house empty. Yes, you can declutter, remove excess furniture and remove personal photographs, but don’t remove everything. You would want to leave the couch so the buyers can sit and imagine themselves watching Netflix at night with their family or at the dining table so they can see how it will look when they have dinner. Leave some furniture, maybe leave some art on the walls, but keep it minimal.
Another thing to keep in mind is not to go all out with holiday decorations. If a holiday is coming in the next few days or weeks, add some decorations but don’t overcrowd your house with holiday decorations. You will lose that spacious feeling, and not everyone wants to decorate their house the same. So, put some things that will give a holiday accent, but again, keep it minimal.
The last thing that you don’t want to do is let your ego get in the way of you selling your house. Not all of us have the same taste for staging and decorating. Hiring or consulting with a professional stager can really help you get through this process. In the end, these people are professionals, and this is their job. They should know better how to stage a house to sell fast.
Bonus tips for home staging
Lighting
Use the natural light in your house to your advantage. And whenever you have a potential buyer coming to see the house, make sure you use as much light as you can, meaning have all the lights turned on. This helps to make the rooms look bigger.
Highlight your house’s best features
If your house has unique features, you want to highlight them and make them a selling point.
Show off storage
Buyers often look out for storage. Declutter your storage units and show them off to potential buyers.
Remove excess furniture
Remove any excess, damaged, or oversized furniture pieces to free up any extra space.
If you want to know if you should renovate your home before selling it, read our article:
Should You Renovate Your Home Before Selling It?
Conclusion
Home staging does not have to be a money-intensive process. If you follow these steps and make the necessary redecorations, you should be able to sell your house faster.
If you are thinking about doing some minor home renovations also, subscribe to the Renovation Portal. Our goal is to help you add more value to your home without spending much money. We assess your house and offer detailed estimates and recommendations required to make necessary renovations, including renovation ideas, ROI analysis, renovation cost, pre-renovation home value, post-renovation home value, and more.
What is the most challenging part of home staging for you? Let us know in the comment section below. Let other people learn from your experiences, stage their houses better, and sell faster.
