With a robust housing market in Colorado and around the nation, several folks are jumping on the bandwagon by selling their homes with hopes of a good profit. Undoubtedly, an upmarket is always helpful when selling a home, but it is still important to ensure you are doing everything on your part to maximize profits. One of the best ways to secure a top price, and potentially attract an offer quickly, is by having a home that is staged well.
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STAGED HOMES PERFORM BETTER
According to stagedhomes.com, homes that are staged well sell 83% faster. They also report that 81% of buyers said a staged home is easier to visualize as their own, and 52% admit they are willing to pay more when they see a staged home.
In the past, staging a home was thought to be for the house models or higher end properties. Now staging has become commonplace and nearly all realtors recommend it. The question remains: do you stage the home yourself or hire a professional?
HIRING A PROFESSIONAL
The cost of having your home professionally staged varies greatly based on your needs and the size of your home. On average, staging costs $3000 – $5000. Accredited Staging Professionals reports 95% of staged homes sell in 11 days or less and typically sell for 17% more. Several thousand dollars may seem like too much to invest in your home to make it look nice. But with the high chance of your home selling quickly and for more money, it may be a worthwhile investment.
- Find an Accredited Staging Professional (National)
- Lifestyle Design by D’Alessio Interiors (Colorado Springs)
- Get advice or have your home staged for an affordable price through Candance Toscano of Toscano Interiors!
Although paying to have your home staged well is financially beneficial, there will always be those who can’t bring themselves to spend money for staging or they prefer to do the work themselves. For those DIY-ers, we offer a few suggestions below.
via Pinterest. (Click image for link)
DIY STAGING TIPS
THE BASICS
The whole point of staging is to create a space that connects with people when they walk in the door. The moment you list your home on the market, it is theoretically no longer your home. Now you have to transition a space that was livable for your family into a “lifestyle vignette” for someone else’s imagination. Let’s start with the basics:
1. Deep clean every nook in the house.
2. Declutter (rent a storage unit if necessary).
3. Replace or shampoo carpets.
4. Fresh paint (neutral).
5. Brighten and lighten (remove heavy window coverings and replace with sheers, etc).
6. Remove odors (bathe pets, move litter boxes to laundry or garage, no smoking indoors, etc).
STAGING 101
After a good cleaning and de-cluttering, you are ready to start thinking about staging. There are several simple solutions to liven up your home for a presentation that won’t be a burden to your pocketbook.
- Get creative and remember that “less is more” when it comes to staging a home. Small changes make a big difference! As you begin, imagine creating a place that has the feeling of a hotel, a spa, or getaway. Fresh, clean, relaxing. You want to positively engage the senses of the people who will walk in your door.
- REMOVE
- Old, plastic blinds and dark, heavy curtains.
- Carpet dents left by furniture (Tip: a carpet rake or an ice cube placed in the dent will spring the pile back to life).
- Drab, faded, spotted, frayed towels.
- Family photos.
- Extra and bulky furniture.
- Clutter from shelves and counters. Don’t forget the closets!
- Worn out lamp shades.
- Dated wallpaper and accessories.
- ADD
- Sheers hanging from above the windows (create height)
- Movable colors: After you paint your neutral walls, use colors in pillows, vases, candles, or flowers to make a bold statement.
- Dramatic fabrics as accents or to cover dated bedding.
- Fresh flowers or twigs in a vase.
- Updated lamp shades.
- Boutique shopping bags displayed on closet shelves: Pick out your favorite local shops that have cute shopping bags with logos, fill them with tissue, and display in the closets (adorable!).
- A tray of goodies or individually wrapped snacks/candy for prospective buyers.
- A letter of what you loved most about living in the home or neighborhood, and/or display photos of the views or other attractive places near your home.
- Fresh towels (from the dollar store!) in the bathrooms and kitchen.
[Link: More before and after images]
courtesy frugalcouponliving.com
- Scents: A big mistake for many people is to light lots of candles to mask odors or “make the house smell nice”. You DO want to have a scent in your home, but avoid strong odors, air fresheners, essential oil diffusers, fabric sprays, etc. Remove bad odors first and then add light scents such as vanilla, cinnamon, or citrus. Some folks are sensitive to smells, so stick with something subtle. (I even recommend staying away from florals. For example, some people are allergic to rose scents.)
Adding a “work-from-home” station doesn’t have to take a lot of room.
- Lifestyle Spaces: The most important spaces to style are the living room, kitchen, master bedroom, dining room, and bathrooms. Invest a little money to put updated linens and accessories in these rooms. Think about how people live today. Consider creating a place for the work-from-home family. 24% of the population did some or all work from their home in 2015. Every year that number increases by 10-20%. Invest in a new, luxury bedding set for the master bedroom.
- Define the space and create one focal point in each room. The use of bold fabrics or towels can break up the monotony of a neutral room. Use tall bookcases or vases with twigs to bring height to the space.
- Outdoor Spaces: Pay attention to your outdoor areas and capitalize on the views you have. Clean up your porch and patios and don’t forget to stage those as well. If you are selling during the cold season, display photos of your outdoor spaces as they look in the summer (if available).
- Rugs, mirrors, interesting side tables, and more all add to the interest and draw of your home. To save money, hunt through your local Goodwill or other thrift stores for inexpensive finds.
- Even with great tips and resources to stage a home, there is definitely an art to it. Obviously, a professional will give you the best return on your money. Either way, no matter if you hire a professional or choose to DIY-it, your efforts will pay off!
Need more ideas or help with selling your Southern Colorado home? I’d love the opportunity to meet with you and discuss the possibility of serving you in this way. If you need a recommendation for a local home stager, email us (susanna@co-regroup.com) or call 719-321-0800.
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Great tips thank you! As a realtor, I highly suggested my client hire a stager but because he wanted to save money, he decided not to. I used these tips to make his house more presentable.
We often suggest our clients stage their homes before selling or we will hire a stager for them!