How to Stage Your Home for Quick Sale

Thanks to the abundance of home improvement shows on some cable T.V. channels home shoppers have higher expectations than they once did. When the average home shopper drives by a home first impressions are more important than ever. And when they walk into a home for the first time it truly is the subjective elements that can make the difference between them making an offer or taking a pass.

Most home sellers could benefit from the services of a home stager. Home stagers provide everything from a written evaluation of ways to maximize the home’s features to providing contract labor for any suggested improvements to additional furnishings and decorations.

Staging Solutions by Suzan owner, Suzan Knutson provides several helpful ideas for anyone looking to stage their home for optimum sale. “First they need to have a stager come by for a consultation visit.” This is not as intimating as it may sound but Knutson warns that home owners should be prepared to hear suggestions that will stretch their imagination.

Knutson related one home she staged where she took the oversized entertainment center apart and used the two end pieces as bookcases in the study. “Most people have lived in their home so long that they can’t imagine their furniture being in another room of the house” said, Knutson.

The front porch is critical to making a feel good first impression. Knutson says home sellers should get a new doormat and even paint the front door a nice complimentary color. Seasonal flowers placed in decorative pots can serve to draw potential buyers into the home for a closer look.

Knutson has 13 home staging secrets and shared several with me. “I’d like to share them all, but if I did, why would people need me?” She said with a smile. Knutson recommends to think of staging your home like you would if you were selling your car. No one would think twice about detailing your vehicle before selling it; it should be the same with your home. But when considering a stager’s suggestions don’t get offended. You have lived in the home and like it, but the stager is charged with making the home sellable.

Home Staging Secret One: Conquer the clutter. This means minimizing the nick-nacks that sit around the home. It also means thinning out the closets and other storage areas. Cluttered shelves and overstuffed closets and storage areas give the impression that the home is too small to be lived in comfortably.

Home Staging Secret Two: Less is more. This means that you might be asked to take out as much as half of your furniture. “Remember your selling square footage, not furniture” Knutson says. Potential buyers want to see open floor plans and bright rooms.

Home Staging Secret Three: Accessorize in odd numbers. In other words put three candlesticks on the mantel, or 5 decorative rocks in a display bowl. Knutson advises that odd numbers of accessories are more appealing than even.

Home Staging Secret Four: Paint it black. If the furniture left in the home shows signs of wear like a wood breakfast table and chairs, paint the chairs black and the table an accent color. If the coffee table has seen better days paint it black.

“The benefits of using a home staging services are easy to point out” Knutson says. Staged homes bring a higher selling price. Staging a home can be done with little or no cost apart from the initial written report which in many cases can be as low as $75. Staging a home can sell much quicker than the same home not staged.
If you’re looking to maximize your selling price and shorten the time your home stays on the market consider using the service of a home stager. Suzan Knutson can be contacted at her website: www.knutsonsellsgreathomes.com or via email at: suzankk@cox.net.