We all know that feeling you get when you walk into a model home that has been so beautifully decorated. We dream about what life would be like living there. We linger a little bit longer in each room and absorb the luxury -- cue Cupid with his bow and arrow -- you are sitting in the home of your dreams!
When potential buyers walk into your home, your goal is to create that same emotional attachment. You want them to linger in your home and fall in love with it! Thanks to the folks at HGTV, buyers now want and have come to expect, move in ready. And the more move in ready it is, the more they will be willing to pay. And don’t forget - You want to remove all the reasons for buyers to make contingencies or lower their offer, so let’s make sure your home is presenting at its best to receive the best possible outcome! Because when they find the home that says – “This is the one!” they are going to do whatever it takes to make sure they get that home of their dreams! So how exactly do you do turn your home into one that buyers will fall in love with? There are a few key things to keep in mind when preparing your home for a successful sale:
Personality that captures their hearts! One of the first things we say in staging your home is to make sure you remove YOUR personality from the home. That means, tuck away all of your personal photos or anything with a family members name on it. You don’t want buyers walking in and being reminded that this is someone else’s home. You want them to imagine that it is, in fact, a place they can feel at home themselves. That does not mean however, that your home needs to feel stale or boring. You can still create personality! In fact, we at First Impression Home Staging believe this is the key to setting your home apart from others. On the kitchen counter or table have a pretty tray with a stack of dishes, large salt and pepper shakers and maybe a small floral or plant as if to say “Come in, grab a plate, and make yourself at home!” Leave a throw blanket casually thrown over a sitting chair with a book opened up and a set of reading glasses on top to suggest that this room is the perfect spot to snuggle up for a good read.
Paint is money in a can! A key component of preparing your home for a successful sale is choosing the proper paint colors. Your listing agent will be able to say “Fresh paint throughout” in the listing description which will automatically raise the perceived value of the home. Agreeable Gray by Sherwin Williams is a great color – but it is NOT the right color for every home. In fact, with the wrong flooring it may actually appear purple or even dirty. Not only that, but dare I say it – gray is not even the go to color anymore. Gasp! The wrong paint color may leave buyers feeling like the home isn’t quite finished, disconnected or incomplete without really knowing why. A very trendy paint color with an older style kitchen cabinet is going to date that home in a heartbeat. While the proper paint color will make it feel intentional and actually more updated than you even realize. Be sure to get professional advice from a Certified Home Stager or Master Color Consultant and feel confident that the paint color chosen is going to complement the flooring, cabinetry and other fixed assets of the home.
Remove oversized furniture! You are selling the square footage in your home, not your stuff. Pack up the China cabinet, armoires and other oversized furniture pieces. Open up the floor plan and make sure your buyers have room to walk around the room, see how the space is being used and help them see that the space is large enough for their family.
Keep Calm and Hire a Home Stager! Selling and moving is stressful enough! Let our team come in and help you understand the smartest investments to make in preparing YOUR home for sale. There are lots of tips you can learn by scouring the internet but how much time will you waste doing that, when you could be doing something that will give you a higher return on your investment of time? Our team can also help you stage your home with personality using your own items (or ours) so you are photo ready! Don’t forget – your home is its most valuable the first few days it hits the market so you want to make sure those listing photos look AH-MAY-ZING!
At First Impression Home Staging, we have a warehouse filled with furniture, art, accessories, area rugs, lamps and more that can be used for your occupied (restrictions apply) or vacant home. Our experts know just what is needed to help your potential buyers fall in love!
Have questions? We are happy to help! The team at First Impression Home Staging is dedicated to providing our clients top notch service. Please feel free to email or call any time to see how we can help you sell your home for more money and fewer days on the market! We look forward to hearing from you!
Sherrie Medeiros
Certified Home Stager & Master Color Consultant
First Impression Home Staging
Phone: 919-444-5002
Email: sherrie@firstimpressionhomestaging.com
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