So you’ve made the decision to sell your home and find a new property that is better suited to your current needs. Even before your home is listed, you will want to consider whether you plan to stage your home with rented furniture, allow potential buyers to see it as is, or show it empty, as a blank slate.
Deciding whether or not to stage your home can depend on several factors. Our complete guide will walk you through the decision-making process with clarity and confidence.
The purpose of staging your home is to:
You want people to be able to imagine themselves living in your home so think about things like:
The last thing you want is for potential home buyers to walk through your house and feel as if it is attractive to look at, but not functional for their everyday lives. They need to be able to see themselves baking brownies in the kitchen and kicking back watching the playoffs (or The Bachelor finale) on their favorite couch.
You may be limited by your personal circumstance, and if you have not yet found a new home, you will have to either leave your belongings in the house or put them in storage during the open house period.
Ask your realtor for advice on this. In some markets, it is useful to show a house that is functional and lived in. Yet, in other markets, homebuyers will want to see a property as a something they can make their own.
The one thing no one wants to see is clutter. So definitely make a plan to rid your home of smelly shoes, junk mail or your jumbled up Tupperware collection.
You can do a cost-benefit analysis by considering how much higher your offers may be if you go to the expense of storing your belongings and having your house professionally staged.
There has been a recent trend towards virtual staging, which might work for your listing. A graphic designer can model your space and place different configurations of furniture and accessories to show off the functionality and potential style of the rooms.
This strategy can entice buyers to come and look at your space. Additionally, this helps even if you could not present it in the most attractive way.
Perhaps you can find a happy medium that shows off your home’s good qualities, doesn’t cause you too much inconvenience, and fetches you a good price.
Your Century 21 Peak Realtor can advise you on this. So schedule a call today to ask about your options, and work towards the best result possible.