When selling a house you are selling a lifestyle. A buyer that is house hunting, wants to feel excited. They want to feel as though the next house is a lifestyle they can have. Humans are visual, if we see something we like we will inquire further. We like pretty things and things that speak value to us.
Creating a Lifestyle
When getting a house ready for the market, agents will tell sellers to declutter. There is a huge difference between decluttering and creating a desirable house that buyers are interested in. Unfortunately, most people do not achieve this when their house goes on the market.
Creating a lifestyle goes beyond decluttering and cleaning a house. It involves details that enhance a house to give it that ‘wow’ factor.
When builders, flippers, or investors are building/ revamping a house to sell, they forget the most important feature that draws a buyer in, the lifestyle. Is a plain box attractive, or one that is wrapped in beautiful paper with a nice bow? What is it about an empty house that could be attractive? Wouldn’t a house with furnishings that create a lifestyle be more desirable? When you enter a model home, which is staged and presented well isn’t it more desirable than the vacant model next door?
Staging to create a lifestyle
Professional staging is money invested to package a property to deliver value. Think of an iPhone, they are not inexpensive. But when you open that box the package itself is impressive. It makes you believe that the product in that box is worth a lot of value. Now think of a house. Yes a lot more expensive than an iPhone, also a larger investment. When selling a house wouldn’t it make sense to package the house to create value and a lifestyle that buyers are seeking? That lifestyle a buyer seeks needs to be reflective of the price being asked.
Compare staging to selling a car. When you go to sell a car, you clean it, detail it, and make it look as beautiful as you so you can to get the most for it. Again, packaging the product to sell. The time and investment you put into making a product look great are worth every dime. Why? Because you will get a return.
It’s all in the details
A lot of sellers believe that they can “stage” their house. Some can if they have furnishings that are updated, in style, and neutral. Most sellers do not live that way. They have decorated their house to be “their home” not necessarily one that any buyer would want. Therefore this is why it is worthwhile to invest in staging.
Can some of the sellers’ furnishings be used to stage a house? Sure. Repeatedly, sellers willing to invest in staging their house, sell faster and for top dollar over those that do themselves. Builders that invest in staging sell faster than leaving a house vacant. Professional staging creates value, produces a lifestyle, and generates interest in a property. A professional stager knows who the buyer is, and knows how to create a lifestyle that they want. A lifestyle that buyers will be excited over.
The details are what make the difference. The details could be the combination of the art, rugs and accessories. The details could be the color on the walls. The details could be the furniture and placement of it in a room. All these details add up to create the lifestyle that buyer’s desire.
So when you are ready to sell, consider the lifestyle of a buyer. It is hard to do but it is what professional staging can produce along with positive results in the sale of your property.
Other great reads:
