Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Copy Link
Should You Consider Home Staging?
Are you ready to sell your home? Adding a home stager to your team might be your next best move. Your neighbors may not be talking about it, but many people connect with home-staging companies. The goal is to ensure a home is warm and welcoming while helping a buyer see the potential.
You have another option, too. Do your research — and do the staging yourself. With the help of a realtor, you can make a great first impression. Home staging has many benefits, and we hope you add it to your to-do list before putting your house on the market.
The How-Tos of Home Staging
Home staging is about preparing your home to help potential buyers see your space as their own. Adding decorations, removing personal items, and deep cleaning are a few ways to make staging a success. Although you are selling your home, remember you are also helping to sell a vision to the next homeowner. If you successfully staged your home, the benefits directly impact your budget.
Here is how to do things right:
-
Sell the vision
House hunters don’t want to see how you designed your home. They want to know if they can make a place feel like theirs. One of the best ways to accomplish this goal is to keep the design minimal. Let someone picture how their couch will look in the corner — or whether a bed will fit in a guest room.
-
Close with a cleaning
What could mess up a beautifully staged home? Dirty baseboards, odors, or other visible signs of an unclean home. It’s worth the time and investment to have your home professionally cleaned. For potential buyers, a clean home also shows a move-in-ready space.
-
Focus on key rooms
There is no reason to stage every room. Try to focus on the rooms that are key selling points. Consider staging the living room or the kitchen. If you have a spacious main suite, find ways to help homebuyers see this space as their own.
Hire a Professional — or Home Stage On Your Own
While hiring a professional is a great investment, a seller may need to allocate those costs to another part of the process. Either way, you are giving your home an edge over other homes in the neighborhood. By selling a home that includes a vision, you may be able to sell your home faster and at a better price.
If you are ready to stage your home, here are your options:
-
Hire a full-service staging company
Allow a full-service company to do it all. They can help you place the right photos on your home listing, attracting more potential buyers.
-
Attend a consultation and stage on your own
Learn from the best, and then try it on your own. During a consultation, gain advice on which rooms are your best selling points. Then, find ways to help each room stand out.
-
Stage your home on your own and consult your realtor
A quick Google search can introduce helpful tips for staging your home. Check in with your REALTOR® for feedback and guidance. They also have an eye for design and have experience staging a property to maximize your space.
Ready, set, stage! Put your home’s best side on display with these helpful tips.
3 Ways to Prepare Your Home to Sell
If you’ve finally decided to list your home for sale, it can be a daunting task trying to figure out how to best prepare your home before listing.
3 Tips for Sellers from a Home Safe™ Certified Agent
Guest Blog by Terin Merriman
Hi Friends!
So this is our lives in the midst of a global pandemic, huh? As we’re adjusting to this “new world” we find ourselves in, it’s important to keep life as normal as we can. While times are challenging and many of us are still searching for our footing, the world doesn’t stop! Thus during such strange times, you may find that it’s time to sell your home and begin your family’s next chapter.
Now more than ever it’s important to choose a Realtor and/or Company that can produce results as well as keep your family safe during a national health crisis. How can you do that? Funny you ask, I have an answer for that. Did you know that Coldwell Banker Elite is the first in our region to roll out a certification for agents that provides specific tools & training to keep YOU and your HOME safe?
So let’s talk selling your home & keeping your Home Safe™. Ah. See what I did there? Such a clever gal. Here’s my 3 Tips for Listing Your Home During Covid-19:
All Things Virtual
With Home Safe™ practices implemented you can limit in-person contact & potential exposure to germs by doing virtual meetings, offering virtual tours, virtual open houses, and electronically signing documents. Essentially, you never have to see anyone face to face again. Talk about dreams coming true! Have I won you over yet?
Follow CDC Guidelines
Real Estate in Virginia has been deemed an essential business and there are suggested guidelines to follow for both agents & clients. Since we can’t always guarantee that others follow the rules set forth, another way to further protect your home and family is to ask that your Realtor ensure showings are only permitted to those with proof of pre-qualification. This will eliminate any unnecessary traffic through your home.
Implement the Covid-19 Addendum
Fun Fact: There a variety of addendums and contract language that Home Safe™ certified agents have access to that will help protect you. Included in those clauses and addendum is language that we can negotiate to reduce your risk should you have a problem buying or selling a home related to COVID-19. We also have language that we will negotiate into the contract that can be used to compel everyone involved in the transaction to abide by CDC best practices and open up opportunities to negotiate certain aspects of the contract that wouldn’t normally be a consideration without the proper language negotiated between the parties.
Undoubtedly things have changed in what is a typical day for most. We have altered our routines and our lives. One thing that isn’t changing is real estate. We’ve seen an influx in home sales and purchases since the start of COVID and the housing market is projected to strengthen even more. With all-time-low interest rates and a seller’s market now is a prime time to sell with very little to no downside. Don’t let the coronavirus scares keep you from your home sale dreams.
Thank y’all for spending a little time with me & reading this blog!
If you’d like more information on Home Safe™ you can visit coldwellbankerelite.com/homesafe or head over to my blog at www.terinuprealestate.com.
We’re always happy to chat and answer questions.
By Terin Merriman, Realtor
