Real estate is an extremely competitive marketplace. When there are more people trying to sell a house than there are to buy homes, this creates a buyer's market.
If a homeowner wants to sell their house for top dollar and truly compete in the marketplace, they have to invest time and some money in making their real estate investment have the look of a new house in order to compete in this tough market. House staging is a proven method of getting a house ready for sale so that the house will sell faster and for more money even in a highly competitive real estate market or a buyer’s market. This work must be completed before calling an agent, gains the house seller a higher list price and better photographs which leads to higher quality marketing.
Cluttered House Makes Real Estate Difficult to Sell
It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to sell a house where family mementos, collections, knickknacks, ornaments and an abundance of accessories cover just about every surface in the house. To the seller, these items make it their home; to the home buyer, these items are nothing more than clutter making it difficult for them to visualize themselves and their belongings in the space.
Getting the House Ready for Sale Maximizes Return on Investment
Preparing a house for sale may seem like a lot of work to a homeowner, however, it is well worth the effort. A House Staging Poll carried out by Maritz Research in 2006 for Royal LePage revealed that over seventy percent of buyers are willing to pay more for a house where the homeowner has updated its features making the home move-in ready. "First impressions are key in real estate as buyers often make up their minds about a home within the first few minutes of entering the front door,” said Dianne Usher, senior manager, Royal LePage Real Estate Services. “As the real estate market begins to moderate in many markets across the country, the need to impress buyers becomes even more crucial."
A Professional Stager is an Investment that Can Sell a House
When a potential home buyer enters the house, up to five living areas can be seen. In a house that has not been prepared prior to being placed on the market, that buyer will immediately begin to make assumptions about the owners, their habits, and lifestyle. However, upon entering a staged property, the home buyer instead develops an emotional attachment to the house.
Trained and certified home stagers can carry out the necessary transformation. These professionals are not emotionally attached to a property and have the ability to convert any home into a showcase. Professional stagers are not only affordable but could be the determining factor in a seller getting full price, or selling a house in slow market.
Ways to Get Real Estate Ready for the Marketplace
After the owner has done the groundwork - de-personalized, removed clutter, packed things not needed for daily living, completed necessary repairs, painted walls in fresh neutral colours, and cleaned extensively inside and out, here is a short list of home showcasing tips to turn a house for sale into a buyer’s purchase.
- Transform the bathroom into a sparkling clean spa by using new, unwashed luxurious towels and facecloths used just for showings, nice soaps, greenery and candles. For showings all personal items must be put away, absolutely no books and the flush cover must be closed.
- Turn the bedroom into a private relaxing retreat using luxurious linens on the bed with rows of big pillows and soft lighting. Place a bottle of wine, two wine glasses and candles on a tray and place on the bed.
- Convert the living room into a family friendly refuge by creating a cozy conversation area, adding colourful decorative cushions on the sofa, and hanging tasteful artwork on the wall placed at gallery height.
- Make over a dull dining room by creating a colourful centrepiece for the dining room table by filling a glass bowl with fresh fruit; lemons or green apples - whatever complements the colour palette, placed on a runner, never a tablecloth.
- Change a cluttered kitchen into a clean organized space that says “welcome home” by removing all appliances from the countertops and placing a teapot with cups on a tray on the counter.
- In all rooms add lifestyle elements. Use the rule of three – three like items strategically placed, placements in triangles, elements of varying heights, and that add light.
- And finally, today’s buyers want the house to smell like fresh air. No longer is it fashionable to use scented candles, potpourri, strongly scented cleaning products, deodorizers, or other scented products – so throw open the windows and let the fresh air in!
Sell a House in a Competitive Market
Real estate is an extremely competitive marketplace. To successfully sell a house for top dollar, the homeowner must take extra steps to make their house more desirable and memorable than all the rest.
In order to make the house memorable to the buyer who is viewing up to ten or more houses before making a decision to buy, the seller must prepare the house first. Homes for sale that are clean, well maintained, in good repair, uncluttered, depersonalized and tastefully decorated in an understated way have a much better chance of selling before those houses that are not prepared for the marketplace.
Source cited:
Royal LePage Real Estate Services. Image is Everything: Creating a Positive First Impression is Key to Selling Your Home. ON: www.royallapage.ca. 2006.
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