Many home sellers wonder why their home languishes on the market.
They've deep cleaned, freshened paint, priced it right, and staged the
dining room table with china. Are you begging your listing agent to: "Sell my home" and thinking about dropping the sales price?
Before you cut your price or pay more seller's costs, reevaluate your home staging.
The
average home buyer only spends four minutes previewing a home. You must
get them to invest more time to CONNECT emotionally to your home. The
more time a buyer spends in a home, the more they think about where
their furniture could go.
That's you goal when showing your
home--to get buyers to imagine living in your home. People will pay
more for a home they fall in love with and want to live in.
To
get buyers to imagine their grandmother's clock or cream sofa in your
living room, you need to allow plenty of empty space. This is where so
many home stagers miss the mark; they think they need to fill a home
with furniture.
On the other hand, many real estate investors
paint a fixer all white, install boring beige carpeting, and show a
stark house with no accessories to spark the imagination.
What you should do is to stage suggestions of happy living in your home.
Home Staging Tips
Of
course, you know to deep clean and declutter your home. Beyond these
steps, take YOU out of the home. Pack up accessories like family photos
and anything that doesn't speak to a buyer. You want the buyer to
imagine their possessions in the space.
Remove extra furniture
that makes the space feel crowded. This is especially important in warm
weather. Fewer furnishings make your rooms feel cooler.
One
you've lightened your rooms, take a critical look. You might want a
friend to come in and help you evaluate the space. If the home feels
sparse instead of "homey," add accessories that will make your
potential buyer feel at home. For instance, a game table with a chess
set for upscale buyers or a family board game for first-time home
buyers.
Adding suggested activities to your home gives buyers
something to look at and keeps your buyers in your home longer than
four minutes. You just might get them imagining their new home!
Copyright ? 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher
Jeanette Fisher,
author of interior design and real estate books, teaches five ways to
make more money selling your home or investment houses. Join our FREE
"Home Selling Teleseminars." Free Home Staging Information and "How to Sell My Home Fast." http://sellfast.info
