What is Home Staging?
Home staging is the act of preparing a private residence for sale in the real estate marketplace. The goal of staging real estate is to sell a home faster and for more money by making it appear appealing to the highest number of potential buyers. Staging techniques focus on improving a property’s aesthetic appeal by transforming it into a welcoming, attractive home in which potential buyers can envision themselves.
Misconceptions about Staging Real Estate
Homeowners and real estate agents alike often think staging is little more than putting away clutter. For instance, some people think staging means finally cleaning out that pile of magazines next to your fireplace or getting your laundry out of the hall. While these are certainly good things to do if you’re selling a home, they don’t constitute staging. Staging is much more than simply cleaning up.
How Do You Really Stage a Home?
Effective home staging is perfecting the overall appearance of your property, specific to the market, with a focus on presentation to maximize value. In plain English, staging is making the home more appealing to the target market by honing in on the following key elements:
- Taste– Unfortunately, what you think makes a gorgeous living room, a buyer might find totally disgusting. “But I spent hours painstakingly designing this room,” you protest. Yes, you did, and it’s perfect for you. Have you ever heard the saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”? We are all different; we all have different tastes. You don’t have to be offended if your real estate agent tells you that your decor probably won’t win over the majority, but you should tweak it to be more appealing. After all, the goal is to get potential buyers to imagine themselves in your home.Your buyer pool is forever changing as styles come and go. It is absolutely essential that you hire a Realtor who is constantly engaged in the market and fully aware of today’s buyer trends. At Austin Properties Group, we know style trends, what your buyer wants, and how that can help you sell your home. Call us today for a free consultation and learn how a few finishing touches can mean thousands more in profit and less time on the market.
- Space – Remember, the goal of home staging is to encourage your buyer to imagine him or herself living in your home. This means showing you buyers how to most effectively use space. You have designed the space in your home to meet your needs, but how you use space is not always how your buyers would use it.If your living room is stuffed with double-padded sofas and recliners, you’ve diminished your space. Potential buyers will likely reject your home because the living room is too small. Buyers are looking for reasons not to buy your home, and a poor use of space is the most curable objection.
- Speed– On average, buyers look at between seven and 13 homes each time they meet with their Realtors. Due to time constraints, most buyers and real estate agents allocate about two or three hours for the entire tour. Factor in driving time, traffic delays and unexpected detours, and your specific showing time may be reduced to as little as five minutes.What this means is that you have about five minutes to make buyers fall in love with your home. If you don’t instantly grab them, they are out the door and on to the next home. At Austin Properties Group, we call this the “love at first site concept,” and we do everything we can to ensure cupid is in the air during every showing.There are only two types of properties, the ones that sell and the ones that help other properties sell. You don’t want to be the latter. Remember, once you lose buyers, they are gone forever.
- Uniqueness– Your home must be aesthetically pleasing, but it must also stand out from the crowd. If you leave your home as is, it’s probably too personal for your buyer. There’s so much “you” in your home that others can’t imagine making it theirs. On the other hand, if you change the decor to make it too bland, too neutral, you run the risk of erasing any effect your home would have on potential buyers.A professional Realtor, like those at Austin Properties Group, can help you navigate this fine line. There are staple items that buyers don’t like. We know this because we are professionals who have monitored the sales of hundreds of homes over time. When you choose Austin Properties Group, we use our research and expertise to help you get the most out of your home.
At Austin Properties Group, we know that different areas have different buyer pools. The Dripping Springs buyer has a different style than the Downtown Austin condo buyer. Austin Properties Group helps you design your property for the people most likely to purchase it. Whether you’re looking to sell a condo or a farm home, Austin Properties Group will present your property with its best face forward for its most likely buyers.