6 Reasons to Stage Your Home Before
Selling
by Brandon Cornett
Why should I bother staging my home?
What do I get back for all the time
and effort I put in? This is one
of the most common home staging questions
among sellers, especially those who
are selling in a seller's market.
Here's the bottom line: Staging
your home can benefit you regardless
of what type of real estate market
you are in.
In a buyer's market, you will need
every advantage you can get in order
to sell your home for a decent sale
price, so it's extra important to
stage your home effectively. But
even in a seller's market staging
can help you achieve a quick sale
for the maximum sale price.
So no matter what kind of real estate
market you are in, it's always wise
to stage your home for the market.
Here are some of the primary benefits
you will get out of it:
Home Staging Benefits
- Forces you to organize and de-clutter.
Clearing away shelves, closets
and cabinets is a big part of the
home staging process. It also helps
with moving, because you'll have
to pack things away at some point
anyway. So when you stage your
home, you will also get a head
start on packing to move.
- Forces you to think like a buyer.
When you set out to stage your
home for the market, you will be
looking at the home as if you were
a buyer. Adopting this perspective
early on will help you in many
ways when preparing your home for
the market.
- Increases likelihood of a sale.
When selling your home, you must
do everything within your power
to increase your chances of selling
-- and I mean everything. Professional
home staging techniques can give
you an extra edge in selling the
home quickly.
- Reduces the home's time on market.
When you put in the extra effort
to stage your home effectively,
you will move closer to a quick
sale. Anyone who has sold a home
before can attest to the fact that
the least time the home is on the
market, the better. This is especially
important if you will be paying
two mortgages until the home sells
(as is the case when you buy a
new home before selling the old
one).
- Helps justify the asking price.
If you are in a seller's market
and you price your home correctly,
you probably won't have to haggle
over the asking price. But in a
market that leans toward the buyer,
you need everything in your favor
to justify the asking price. Proper
home staging can help you justify
the asking price by positioning
the home more favorably in the
buyer's mind.
- Staging can be fun! It may sound
like all work and no play at first.
Granted, you will certainly be
putting some elbow grease into
the process. But staging a home
can be a creative process as well,
and many people find they enjoy
it once they've begun.
With so many benefits to staging
a home, the question isn't why should
you stage your home. The question
is why wouldn't you?
About the Author: Brandon
Cornett is the publisher of The Staging
Bug, a website that offers home staging
advice advice for sellers. For
more great tips and ideas, visit http://www.stagingbug.com.