Why a Home For Sale Needs A Great First Impression.

One can say, without a doubt, that the process of selling real estate has changed over the past decade to include home staging. Today’s marketplace is well-informed, educated, very particular, and accustomed to experiencing great customer service when purchasing products- especially when buying high-ticket items.  Technology has changed how real estate is promoted, as 84 percent of potential homebuyers are looking to the internet to find properties. Photographs are the new first impression, instead of curb appeal. Besides showing what a room looks like, photographs tell a story and sell a lifestyle or feeling about a home.

What is Staging?

In general, everyone looks for comfort, adoration, status and excitement in life, all of which are involved in the psychology of buying a home. Successful staging capitalizes on these feelings and creates an ambiance that compels people to take their time and imagine themselves living in the space. Essentially, staging maximizes a home’s potential to encourage the buyer to put in an offer.

Staged homes –

-         Sell two to three times faster.

-         Sell for 3 percent to 10 percent more money.

-         Look better in photos and marketing promotions.

-         Attract more buyers and more offers.

-         Eliminate buyers chipping away at the asking price.

-         Show your level of commitment to your real estate agent.

-         Prepare you for moving to your new location.

-         Assure you that you’ve secured the best possible deal.

The Developing Industry of Home Staging

Before home staging became commonplace in real estate, it was primarily used as a last resort. If a home did not sell within a specified time, a professional home stager was called in.

Home staging grew in popularity because homes sold quickly after being staged and, quite frequently, attracted amounts close to their asking prices. Eventually, it became normal practice for real estate agents to suggest various tips for preparing a home for sale, mostly de-cluttering and good cleaning.

More and more real estate agents were paying attention to the effectiveness of staging a home, and it was the forward-thinking agents who called in home stagers to prepare homes before they went onto the market. Doing so made their listings look far better than their competitions’ and practically guaranteed that their properties would sell before the others in the same neighborhood. Forward-thinking homeowners also had the foresight to see that home staging maximized the market value and increased the equity in their property.

Several years from now, home staging will be a prerequisite for selling a property, much like the home inspection industry, which we barely had 20 years ago. Potential home buyers will come to expect to view properties that have been staged and will walk away from those that have not been.