Surefire staging techniques that make for a faster sale
By Erik J. Martin
CTW Features
“All the world’s a stage,” Shakespeare famously wrote. And that adage certainly applies to a home for sale. With the right staging techniques, you can win the audition with prospective buyers watching from the front row.
Home staging involves carefully prepping a listed residence to increase its appeal and make a strong first impression in photos and during open houses and private showings. While experts often recommend enlisting the aid of a professional home staging company to do the dirty work, the seller and real estate agent working closely together can handle many of the tasks involved.
“Staging isn’t limited to the inside of your home, and it isn’t just about adding or rearranging furniture,” says Koki Adasi, associate broker with Koki & Associates with Long and Foster Real Estate in Washington, D.C., which pays for staging services for each of its listings. “The value of staging is that it convinces buyers to secure a showing after previewing the home online, provides a neutral canvas for buyers to see the property as their own, and ultimately works to diminish any negative feelings potential buyers may have when they walk into a home.”
Marcia Goodman, staging Realtor with RE/MAX Gateway in Gainesville, Virginia, says staging works because buyers are looking for move-in ready homes that require minimal work to be done.
“Staging helps because it ensures that the home is thoroughly cleaned, has neutral colors throughout, and is updated,” Goodman says. “Remember that buyers today commonly look for homes online to preview with their agent, and pictures of staged homes command greater attention because they present better and increase the chance of the property being previewed by buyers and their agent.” Properly staged homes typically sell faster, Goodman adds.
“However, that does not always mean that a staged home can be priced higher, because a higher-priced home tends to sit longer on the market, and the longer it sits on the market the lower the offer price,” Goodman says.
Nevertheless, fewer days on the market typically warrant a higher price than normal because of current buyer demand for homes, says John Lyons, real estate broker with Baird & Warner in Chicago.
“Last year, I sold my investment property within one day at full asking price, which I can attribute to careful staging,” Lyons says. “I refinished the floors, painted the walls, and recruited a professional staging company.”
To improve your chances of a faster home sale at a more desirable price, try these staging tips:
1. Concentrate on curb appeal. Trim shrubs, plant flowers, power wash your driveway, walkways, porch and deck, and tidy up your landscaping. “Be sure you have a well-maintained front lawn that’s freshly mowed and mulched as well as a welcoming front entrance with a door wreath,” Goodman says.
2. Clean and de-clutter. Wash and dust interior surfaces thoroughly, and pack up and remove anything that isn’t being used in the house on a regular basis.
3. Depersonalize. “Take your favorite photos down and replace them with neutral-themed artwork from a local thrift store or discount retailer,” says David Kinsey, an agent with Stone Harbor, New Jersey-based Berkshire Hathaway Fox and Roach Realtors. Also, remove all unnecessary items off counters and replace with fresh flowers.
4. Touch up without going overboard. “Do not start that major remodeling project you’ve always dreamed of right before listing your home,” Kinsey says. Instead, add a fresh coat of neutral-colored paint (grays are currently popular) to walls, refinish worn wood floors, change out kitchen cabinet door pulls, and update old window treatments.
5. Arrange furniture and decor together for better traffic flow, comfort and coziness. “Try to arrange pictures, table pieces, and pillows into groups of three,” says Lyons. Additionally, try grouping together a few small mirrors, “which can appear to double the size of your space and add a hint of energy to the room,” Goodman says.
6. Use lighting to make rooms warm and inviting. “Increase the wattage in your lamps and fixtures, and make sure you use three types of lighting: ambient, such as general or overhead lighting; task-like pendant, under-cabinet, or reading lights; and accent lighting, like table lamps,” Goodman says.
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