Home Staging 101: First Impressions

Because of the current soft real estate market, many homes with tremendous potential are waiting to be sold for months on end. Fortunately, home staging is something that every home owner can do to promote a very profitable sale. The key to effective home staging is to make a house as appealing to as many buyers as possible. Creating a space that everyone is attracted to will significantly increase the chance of a faster sale at top dollar for the seller.

We all know the importance of first impressions. Why else would we buy a new suit and crisp white shirt, shine our shoes and trim our hair before a job interview? We want to be seen at our best. Just as in job-hunting, a home owner needs to have their home dressed for success. Just like dressing ourselves for an interview, a house on the market must prepare in much the same way. It is important to remember that you are marketing a product. Staging a home will give it a competitive edge and excellent first impressions.

Since the house no longer needs to reflect you, the home owner, when it’s on the market, it is important to pack away personal items such as pictures and collectibles. The potential buyers’ first impressions should be based on the home itself and not the collage of family portraits covering the living room wall. A properly staged home should make the buyer feel like the house is move-in ready. Chances are, if buyers are pleased the first time through they will return for a second visit or better yet make an offer.

Small Changes, Big Pay-Offs

Another great advantage that can be gained from staging your home is the value it adds to the home. After removing clutter, rearranging furniture, and updating key pieces the home’s existing character will be revealed. If the house lacks character, paint and window treatments will do the trick by adding warmth and interest. The reason for adding new furniture, accents and paint color is to boost the homes’ appeal. By choosing neutral paint color the buyers will not be distracted. By displaying the right amount of accessories makes the house feel like a home. And by using the right size furniture in proportion to the room’s size will demonstrate how the buyer could utilize the space just as effectively. The idea is to keep the buyers’ attention on the house not what’s inside it. The key is to play down a home’s flaws and enhance its best features.

Summertime Attractions

The front of a home is what a potential buyer will notice first—it’s unavoidable. It’s important to set the mood for the rest of the house starting at the front door. The look of the outside of a house can be just as important to a buyer as the inside. Homes for sale during summer months can take advantage of sprucing up their yard, porches decks and patios. Planting flowers will brighten the space surrounding your home. Adding outdoor seating areas as extensions of the home will greatly pay off. Make the outside as livable as the inside.

Stefanie Woods is a graduate of Penn State with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. She decided Business Administration was not her true calling and has always aspired to be an interior decorator. Stefanie works for Organized Home Interiors where she can apply her creativity doing what she loves most: decorating homes and organizing spaces.