Where to Begin

Staging has always been a part of the home selling process, however the recent recession has caused it to become more than cleaning your home and raking the lawn. Today the market is catering towards the buyer and sellers need to look for anyway to give themselves an edge over their neighbor. There are a number of things sellers can do in their home to set it apart, but the question becomes “What?”.

The first part is to define staging. Staging is the act of preparing a home for sale. This focuses on improving the property’s appeal to a targeted buyer group by creating a welcoming and inviting home. Staging can be anything from a deep clean to a complete professional staging. Home staging is not interior design or interior decorating. One of the ways to understand how much or how little staging you need is to see the real estate market as a dating game. You want to find “the one” buyer for your home.

Hire a Matchmaker

Selling your home is not something that should be left to chance. A good realtor will have a network of professions that will get your home ready. Start by asking others who have recently had success selling their home in the area that you are in. Select an agent with the right credentials. Certain training can ensure the agent can handle your specific home and needs. Take a look at their listings and how long they’ve been in business. A realtor can make the difference between selling and multiple price drops month after month on the market.

Sellers rely on their realtor for advice, to ensure their home is priced right and feedback from potential buyers. It pays to get several assessments of your home and don’t always take the highest price. You need an accurate price, not a dream number. They should also be available for any questions or concerns you have and be able to give you a comprehensive market analysis that compares similar homes on the market. You are paying your realtor for their knowledge and expertise. Listen to the advice and choose your matchmaker carefully.

Wingman.

Just as your friend helps you with the dating scene, a stager can be your wingman in the real estate market. A matchmaker has a makeup artist, a personal trainer and other professionals to give a client individualized attention, a realtor can employ certain professionals to give a home specific attention. Just as Goose helped out Maverick to win the girl, stagers are able to assist realtors and clients on how to set up the home to appeal to a specific pool of buyers.