Month: June 2018

Putting your home on the market may be the last thing you have on your mind.

But as you know, life happens. Things change. You might unexpectedly find yourself in the position of wanting or having to quickly sell your home.

It happens more often than you might think. In fact, according to studies into why people sell their homes, more than a third are due to relatively quick and unexpected changes. Something happens – a job relocation, a lifestyle change – and the homeowner finds him or herself making a move.

In these situations, the biggest source of stress is caused by the need to prepare the current home for sale.

If you’ve lived in your house for a few years, or even just a few months, you know how quickly things can pile up. The garage and basement get filled with stored items. Things needing minor repairs get put on hold.

That’s why it’s a good idea, every so often, to inspect your property and ask yourself, “If I had to put my home on the market this month, what would I need to do?” Then plan to get those things done. That way, if you suddenly find yourself wanting to sell your home quickly and for the best price, you’ll be ready.

You might have heard about home staging and wondered what it’s all about. There are even a few television reality shows that feature staging experts doing their magic on a particular house or condo.

So what exactly is it?

Home staging is simply setting up your home to maximize its appeal to potential buyers. It involves everything from cleaning and removing the clutter, to arranging the furniture and decorating. The concept was developed by Barb Schwarz, who has become a legend in the staging industry.

Think about some of the most attractive furniture showrooms you’ve visited. Remember that beautifully set table with the bottle of wine set perfectly in the middle? Did you notice the two wine glasses and place settings that made it look as if a couple were about to sit down for an enjoyable meal? That’s an example of staging.

Does staging work?

According to studies, it does. In fact, staging has been shown to help sell a home faster and for a good price. In some cases, effective staging has even increased the selling price.

Should you stage your home?

It’s definitely going to help make your property more appealing to buyers. When it comes to staging, you have a couple of choices: you can hire a professional stager, or you can stage your home on your own. A good REALTOR® can help by either recommending a stager or providing you with staging tips.

You can definitely do some or even all of the staging on your own. In fact, some of the simplest staging techniques are easy to implement. Putting fresh flowers in the kitchen is an example of staging. So is arranging furniture in a room so that it looks as bright and spacious as possible. But if you have a difficult space or you need to bring in or reorganize furniture, you may want to consider a professional.