Buyers’ first impressions happen within seconds of seeing a home.  After one glance from the street, a buyer may decide not to even go in!   So staging starts at the curb and continues throughout the house.  Staging is a marketing tool focused on the buyer.   Its goal is to attract the most buyers online and create an emotional connection for them once they are inside. Think about how you would have your car washed and detailed so that it looks showroom ready before trying to sell it.  Staging is a similar approach, but the goal is to appear better than new!   The house not only sparkles and shines, its assets are highlighted, its best use of space is demonstrated, disadvantages are downplayed and then the senses are tapped to maximize the home’s allure. Key elements of staging:

• Eliminate clutter to create clean visual lines and show off the space.
• Frame and showcase the home’s assets such as a fireplace or great view.
• Downplay shortcomings of a home such as an undesirable view, tight space or low light.
• Enable buyers to envision themselves living in the home by removing all distractions. The buyer should not know anything about the seller’s personal preferences in extreme color, art, decorating, religion, race, sexual and political orientation, hobbies, etc.   These factors are very distracting to a buyer, irrelevant to the sale and should not be seen.
• Every inch is cleaned to sparkle and smell like new.  Strong odors from cooking, pets, smoking, mildew and general lack of cleanliness will instantly turn buyers away.
• Appeal to the emotional power in our sense of smell, and simmer spiced cider on the stove, burn a scented candle or brew fresh coffee.
• Play soft pleasant music in the background to further suggest an inviting home.
• Let the sun shine in all the windows and the lights glow for the brightest space.
• Overall, create a neutral but charming and welcoming space.

Your Realtor may recommend a professional staging company or just a few staging tips that he or she can help you with depending on the size of your home and how much work is needed to achieve your desired outcome.   Either way, launching a staging strategy for your buyers and pricing your house to sell will get you the edge on your competition, reduce the cost of a potential price reduction and extra months on the market and get you the best possible outcome from your sale. I’m happy to talk with you about staging resources and tips and your moving plans!