Stage It! Sell It!
By Susan Atwell as published in The Somers Record
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”
This quote is credited to Vincent van Gogh who recognized that a great painting is really just a series of small brushstrokes. Alone, these strokes may seem insignificant, even trivial. But brought together…they create a masterpiece.
The same is true of home staging, which is the art of decorating a home to sell quickly and for top dollar. It’s all about making a series of small changes to your home that alone may seem trivial or inconsequential but when brought together make your home stand out and shine above the competition.
The word “Staging” doesn’t mean “spend lots of money.” Nor is it a luxury reserved only for high-end homes. Whether you have a townhouse in the city or a mansion in the country, staging can be as simple as cleaning, packing, decluttering, removing distractions, and rearranging furniture.
These simple things are free and have an incredible return on investment.
Staging can be done by anyone—the home owner, a real estate agent, a neighbor, a professional home stager or any combination of these—but as the Nike slogan goes, the most important thing is, JUST DO IT!
In my 15-plus years of staging experience, the most successful home sellers are those who put in the most effort, not the most money. These sellers also understand the market and price their home competitively because they know that there is no amount of home staging that will ever make up for a home that’s overpriced.
Remember, how your home looks, how it’s priced, and who you choose to promote your property are totally up to you. If you do all three of these things well, you will sell faster and get closer to your asking price with a lot less inconvenience and indigestion.
So, what is the goal of home staging?
At a minimum, staging makes your home appear move-in ready.
At its best, staging wows home buyers and creates an emotional connection that makes them fall head-over-heels in love with your home…leading to a faster sale at maximum value.
When decorating to sell, enlist the help of a friend, family member, or professional home stager. Why? Because anyone attempting to stage his/her own home will struggle to be objective. It’s almost impossible for anyone—even a professional home stager—to view his home with fresh eyes.
The key is to find someone willing to give you honest and constructive feedback based on his or her first impressions and fresh perspective.
Bottom line, there’s no need to gut your kitchen or build an addition to appeal to your target buyers.
You don’t need to do “big” things to get “big” results.
Home Staging is all about downplaying the negatives and directing a buyer’s eyes to those uniquely special features in your home.
Regardless of your home’s size, price, style, or location, you just need to remember the recipe for successful transformations. Simply put, “Minor changes make major differences.”
Everybody wins when you stage.
You, the home seller, benefit the most from this investment with a faster sale, less stress, and more money.
And your buyers get a move-in-ready home with more perceived value and a home they love.
There simply are no losers.
So, start planning now, even if you’re not selling for a few years because when it comes to home staging, you can never start too soon.
More and more of my clients are beginning the staging process as many as 5 years in advance of selling. Starting now allows you to spread out your projects and enjoy the fruits of your labor along the way.
(Adapted from “Stage It! Sell It! Home Staging Tips to Transform Your Home Like a Pro” by Susan Atwell. To download your free copy of this guidebook, go to https://atwellstagedhome.com/gift/.)
