4 Tips-Staging Your Home to Sell

April 26, 2016

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4 Tips-Staging Your Home to Sell

Interview with Jennifer Delisle, a Realtor with the Delisle Group, Keller Williams Realty Metropolitan in Bedford, New Hampshire. Jennifer is a Multi-Million-Dollar Producer, Heavy Hitter and Double Gold Award Winner.

 

Spring is a very common time of year to sell your house in NH. What makes your house different than your neighbor’s house down the street that is for sale? Home staging could just be your secret to success! Staging might sound like a lot of work but it’s one of the most important things to do when it comes to selling your home.

How does one stage their house? We go to the experts! Jennifer Delisle tells us how fundamental home staging is, “If you’re interviewing agents to list your home, ask them what they do to stage your property. Sometimes all it takes is a neutral paint color or rearranging furniture, which can mean more money in your pocket.” Jennifer adds, “In a world where HGTV makes everyone an expert, Buyers expect the home they’re buying to look like what they see on TV. If it doesn’t, it likely will spend more time on the market and the Seller will receive a lower price than expected.”

 

Here are 4 helpful tips to staging your home:

1) Eliminate Clutter! Clutter often makes it hard for the buyer to visualize their furniture and belongings in the house. Home stagers will assist with decluttering the current furnishings and help open the house up to make it look larger. Removing personalized items such as pictures, is another way to help buyers see themselves living in the home.  What items could you live without temporarily?

2) Rearrange and Neutralize! Rearrange furniture pieces or wall hangings depending on the purpose of that room. A fresh coat of paint that is neutral will be more inviting to prospective buyers. However, “neutral” does not have to mean white. You can also use more muted colors to give the space some subtle character. Paint Tip: If you are looking to expand the visual space in your room, paint the moldings the same color as the wall paint. This will give the illusion of higher walls. It also becomes more appealing to buyers when newly painted!

3) Scrub and Deodorize! Having bad odors in the house will turn off potential buyers. Scrub, Scrub, Scrub. This means cleaning ceiling fans, window sills, floors and the dreaded bathroom, to name just a few. Pet odors can be strong smells too- use pet deodorizer and enzyme based cleaning products to eliminate the smell. Prior to a house showing, consider lighting a candle or baking cookies to create an inviting aroma!  This will make the house showing much more pleasurable for everyone.

4) Curb Appeal! This is the first impression of your house to buyers, so it must be top notch. If the outside of your house is not well-kept it might be a deterrent for buyers. Trim bushes, mow the lawn, and spruce up flower beds to enhance your curb appeal. Also, power wash the house, clean pathways and if necessary seal the driveway.

Jennifer says, “When preparing to list your home, your Realtor should be able to either help you with the home staging or direct you to a home stager who will work in conjunction with your agent to help you stage your home. Some agents are comfortable helping you stage your home prior to photographs being taken and the listing going live.

Depending on your budget the professional home stager may use what you already have in the home—rearranging furniture and décor, offering paint color suggestions and more. With a larger budget or when a home is vacant, a home stager will bring in all the pieces needed to stage a home so it’s ready for pictures and showings.”

 

Yes, home staging does take effort and may require some investment before selling, but pay off will be well worth it. In this article we have talked about 4 ways to effectively home stage. But the big question is: Does home staging really work?

Let’s ask Jennifer and see an example of how home staging works: “Last year I sold a home that had been on the market the year prior for over 100 days. It hadn’t sold—and only had ONE showing during it’s time on the market. This home was a newer colonial, four bedrooms, over 3,300 square feet on a flat wooded lot in a great neighborhood. So why didn’t this home sell? The home in my opinion was a little over priced which played into the days on the market, but I explained to the homeowners, that we needed to appeal to the buyer who would likely be purchasing this home. It was a large job so I brought in a home stager who offered a long list of recommendations. The Sellers worked hard and implemented most of the recommendations. My professional photographer captured the improvements which the Sellers agreed when comparing to the original listing photos, looked amazing. This time the home was pending in 10 days!”

When it comes to preparing your house to sell, draw from the strengths of your NH realtor and advice they have for home staging. You never get a second chance to make a first impression! 

If you are looking to list your house on the market Jennifer Delisle is your agent! Jennifer has proven to accomplish the task at hand, creating a less stressful environment for her sellers. Remember to schedule your pre-listing home inspection with your NH home inspector, too!

 

Contact Information:

Jennifer Delisle with Delisle Group Keller Williams Realty Metropolitan, Bedford, New Hampshire
C: 603-490-8816
E: Jennifer.matseas@kw.com
www.facebook.com/JenniferDelisleRealtor