You’re selling your house, now what? The decision has been made to move on and gain as much equity from your largest investment- your house. Who should be the first person you connect with?
A Professional Stager
A Professional Stager; that’s right. You might think they come after the real estate agent right? Let me explain why it is important to hire a professional stager.
- A Professional stager will look objectively at your house
- Help you distinguish what features are best to emphasize
- Explain why and what sprucing should be done to make your house resonate with buyers
- Suggest improvements that will give you a return on your investment
- Help you protect the equity in your house by assisting you to ensure that the presentation is better, if not comparable to other houses with similar features
- When an Agent comes to review the house they will see the property well presented. It will give a better impression and possibly assist in a stronger selling price
The Lived in House
I recently did a consult on a house that was lived in, and I mean lived in. The walls were marked up with nicks from living in the rooms. The floors although wood they were dirty with scratches and marks. The woodwork around the doors and doors themselves had pieces nicked off. The windows were hard to see through. The kitchen appliances probably had not been cleaned in a week or so, you get the idea right? The house was lived in. They were not happy with the selling price their realtor had given them. They felt other houses were selling at a higher price for the same rooms, bathrooms and they had put a bit of work in the house over the years.
The problem was the house did not present well. If they had a professional staging consult first they would have understood what needs to be attended to. Some small improvements with minimal investment can help any seller gain higher profits.
They were lucky to find an agent that knows how important staging a house prior to marketing is. The agent pays for the consult for their sellers because they know the presentation will attract the buyers to take an interest.
Protecting Your Equity
A home stager has an unbiased eye. We help homeowners with all types of houses. Keeping with the style of the house, and the market in mind we give suggestions that will appeal to buyers. Our goal is to get you the biggest bang for any money you invest in the house. Our suggestions are to not only to appeal to buyers but also consider how to make the rooms appear brighter and larger. Buyers want to find a house that goes a little above their expectations. Staging helps a seller do that. So before listing, look for a professional stager in your area that can help you prepare your house before it goes on the market, or before you get that estimate from your realtor.
Other good reads:
http://designsolutionskgp.com/7-simple-steps-to-staging/