How to Stand Out in the Real Estate Market

A Critical Step in Preparing a Home for Sale

Home staging is a business that grew rapidly during the fast-paced real estate markets of the 1990s into 2006. The slowing of existing home sales, which began in 2006, did not damage the business of staging homes for sale. If anything, there is now a greater need to improve the presentation of a listed home as sales slow.

When there are fewer buyers and more listings in competition, every strategy should be employed to make a home stand out among the competitive listings in the area. Staging a home can make a huge difference in how it's perceived by prospective buyers. If the home is vacant, the home stager will bring in rented furnishings and decorative items to make it look occupied and pleasing to buyers. Some of the techniques used by stagers include:

- Removing clutter in all areas of the home

- Removing personal items or artwork that might distract buyers

- Rearranging furnishings for better room appeal or to make the room feel spacious

- Adding or replacing furnishings

- Landscaping changes or additions

- Lighting changes to make rooms brighter.

About Home Staging

Home staging is the act of preparing a private residence for sale in the real estate marketplace. The goal of staging is to sell a home quickly, and for the most money by attracting the highest amount of potential buyers. Staging focuses on improving a property to make it appeal to the largest number of buyers by transforming it into a welcoming, appealing, and attractive product for sale. Staging often raises the value of a property by way of reducing the home's flaws by depersonalizing, decluttering, cleaning, improving the condition of the home's items and by landscaping. For vacant homes, rental furniture is used to create a living space buyers can see themselves in.

A Necessary Step

Properly executed staging leads the eye to attractive features while minimizing flaws. Staging is increasingly viewed by some as a necessary step taken prior to selling a home, and many home sellers use the services of a professional home stager or a real estate agent with staging expertise to assist them to stage their homes prior to sale.

Results

Industry research has shown that home staging can reduce a listings time on the market by half and could fetch as much as 10-15% more versus an empty home or a home not properly staged.
 

Source: www.homestagingchannel.com