Staged To Sell Design Services Blog Post Couple with House

Falling in love with a home is a lot like falling in love with your life partner. We feel butterflies in our stomach when we meet someone who excites us! And Buyers often get that same feeling when they first spy a house that looks special and seems better than they could have hoped for. Here are 7 ways falling in love with a home is like finding your perfect mate!

1. Love At First Sight!

Help your buyers fall in love at first sight by adding pretty plants or flowers, trimming the hedges, painting the fence and mowing the lawn. Remember, you only have one chance to make a great first impression!

2. Beautiful On The Outside But Nothing On The Inside.

We've all, at one time or another, been disappointed by someone who isn't at all what they seem to be. On the surface they may look great and come across as appealing but when you get to know them, there's nothing there. Buyers often feel the same way when they walk through an empty home. If the house looks wonderful on the outside, make sure you carry the experience through by showing a home with fresh furnishings including artwork and accessories. It's really hard to visualize what a home might look like if it's vacant.

3. Chemistry...or Feeling 'It'!

Once Buyers cross the threshold and enter your home they get a feeling..and it can be good or blah or....terrible. Have you ever spent time with someone who just had a certain 'something' you found irresistible and you didn't quite know why?! Most Buyers get the same kind of good feelings about the home they choose and it usually happens very quickly. Just like a wonderful partner, it may be that the house feels safe and familiar or it's open, cheery and inviting. The opposite can be true too. If a house (or a person) feels unkempt, is too dark, smells bad or too strong of odor or fragrance then those are big turn offs. Think of your home as a person; you want it to be popular, you want it to be in good shape and you want it to be a place where Buyers want to stay.

4. Do They Have Their Act Together?

Meeting a good life mate means you must decide if they have their act together. And Buyers want to know if the property they are considering has its act together too, meaning has it been well cared for? Is it organized and tidy? Is it in good repair? Does the paint look good, are the trim and the siding well maintained? If there isn't much work to do and the home looks like it is in good condition then most Buyers are going to be much more willing to make it their own.

5. Are They Normal?

The old saw is "Everyone is normal except the people you know well." Normal is wide-ranging in both people and properties. A home with an unusual floor plan may be right for you or it may be a deal breaker. For example, offering your home for sale means making sure the dining room is presented as a dining room with a table, chairs, centerpiece and a hutch. You may actually use it as a billiards table room while you've lived there but that wasn't what it was designed for...in other words it's not 'normal'. When you live in your home and it is for sale, make sure you present each room as close to its originally intended use as possible.

6.They Don't Have To Be Perfect, Just Perfect For YOU!

Imperfections can be endearing or they can be warning signs. A slightly crooked smile can make someone devastatingly handsome but a crooked stairwell can be a turnoff. Make sure that serious imperfections...many of which you've grown accustomed to, are revised before selling. Someone who is obviously still carrying hard feelings toward their Ex is just as unappealing as a house with an obsolete kitchen. Please don't plan to command top dollar if your home is really a fixer-upper.

7. A Good Foundation To Build On.

Finally, just like the right partner, the best home needs to have a solid foundation. When you find a person who is stable, attractive to you, has taken good care of themselves, is appealing inside and out and you can accept their flaws, you probably shouldn't let them get away. The same things are true in your perfect home: when you find it don't wait. Hurry and make an offer on that house before someone else finds it!

If you are wondering if you should ‘bother’ with professional home staging then or if it is worth the investment, the answer is YES! All evidence supports the fact that home staging causes homes to sell up to 82% faster and for 5% more than non-staged properties!

To make sure you are in TOP showing condition after you’ve staged your home, download our Pre-Showing Checklist below. This is the list the BEST Realtors recommend that their clients use before every showing to generate offers!//