Spring is upon us. Are you looking to sell? Combine spring cleaning and staging your property in one and you could be in your new home by summer!
Whether you hire a professional (recommended) or do it yourself, we've compiled 10 reasons why it's so important to showcase your home in the best light possible.
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Online Home Photos Will Stand Out.
Let's face it, 90% of people are going to look at your home online before they make any calls to their Agent to setup a showing.
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Your Home, As-Is, Reflects Your Taste- Not The Buyers.
While you don't have to go crazy and buy an entire house worth of new furniture, start packing up the family pictures, the old afghans over the sofa and anything that may take away from the structure of your home. Buyers need to be able to picture themselves and their own belongings in the home, not yours.
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You Stand to Make More Money.
In a 2014-2015 Home Staging Statistics survey of over 3,500 homes professionally staged, over 50% sold for 10% more than their unstaged comparable homes. (source)
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You Can Find Ways to Do It Affordably.
Do the labor yourself. Many stagers work as consultants, touring your house and offering suggestions on how best to present it. Barb Schwarz, a longtime home stager and founder of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals, says the average fee for a consultation is $350 and often involves a tour of the property that lasts two hours or longer, photos and a 30- to 50-page report." (source)
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Your Home Will Sell Faster.
When buyers can picture themselves in your home, they're more likely to make an offer. Multiple buyers being able to picture themselves in your home means more demand and more offers. The likelihood of your home sitting on the market when staged is much less than when your personal taste isn't there.
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If Staged Well, Buyers May Look Over Flaws in the Home They May Otherwise Take Issue With.
Is your house on a busy street? Does it only have 2 bedrooms when most others in your neighborhood have 3? Staging may make a buyer fall in love with your house enough to look over things that may otherwise cause them to move onto the next property.
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It Gives You An Opportunity to Showcase the Best Features of Your Home (and Downplay the Worst.)
If your home does have some deterrents for a buyer like number of beds or a small living space, it gives you a chance to show what you can do with the space to make it not only livable, but perfect for them.
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Staging Will Help You Get Ready To Move.
If you're a procrastinator, staging may be the jumpstart you need to get ready to move onto your next home. It will force your to clean out clutter, pack away personal items that are moving with you. The best part is you'll be less overwhelmed to pack up when moving day comes.
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Buyers Are More Likely to View Your Home As Well-Maintained.
And well maintained means less work for the buyer- which sells. Make your property look more move-in ready by staging it so.
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You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression.
Call it cliche, we can it true. If someone has already seen your property online or in person as-is, even the best staging can't take back the vision they may have etched in their mind from before. Or you risk having them pass it over (again) completely. Create a sense of urgency with your home by putting it on the market gleaming and ready to go.