Stage Your Home, Sell It Faster!

I love color and visual stimulation! My home is full of both. My living room and bedroom are a blue-ish/gray that I call Golden Gate Fog. My kitchen walls are terra cotta. The contents of my rooms include a 4' x 4' painting of a vase of flowers, wicker baskets, a bunny lamp, a bowl of potpourri and a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired chandelier. It's not everybody's taste but it works for me!

I've owned this space for six years. I love it and have no intention of selling. But when I do sell, my new mantra will be “minimize, minimize, minimize."

Cleaning and de-cluttering are two important facets of getting your home ready to sell. This process is part of a concept more familiarly known as “staging.” A staged home is certain to attract buyers more quickly than a home that is not staged.

A Case History

I know firsthand the power of staging.

Last year I had a 2-BR/2-BA listing at 222 N. Columbus, the Park Millennium Condominiums. The building had multiple 2-BR/2-BA properties for sale at that time. My client, savvy to the power of staging, asked me to delay listing her property for one week. During that time she cleaned and decluttered her entire living space. Personal items were organized or removed. Carpets were cleaned and regularly vacuumed, beds were always made, dishes were always put away. My client kept her home beautiful and spotless until the day we closed.

Which, it turns out, happened pretty quickly.

We closed at sale price of $400,000. That's a higher sale price than what 88% of comparable listings sold for during the same 12-month time frame. We also sold nearly 20 days faster than the average days-on-market of comparable listings at the Park Millennium. All it took was a little elbow grease and a desire to present the property in its best possible light.

Well, that and a concerted marketing effort by the listing agent! :o)

How to Make Staging Work for You

Staging has become a booming business. But you can stage your own home by following some key guidelines:

1. Scour each room of your home with the eye of a ruthless surgeon. Make a note of what absolutely needs to stay – window treatments, a few pieces of furniture, a lamp or two – and what needs to go away.

2. Doodads and memorabilia should be gently scooped into bags and boxes. Relocate them to your garage or basement storage unit.

3. Clean, buff and polish everything to a fine sheen! No cobwebs. No dust. And definitely no yucky smells. You might even consider hiring a cleaning service.

4. Place a call to your painters. Tell them to order up a few gallons of off-white. A neutral background makes it easier for prospective buyers to picture how their own furniture and possessions would fit into the space.

5. Copy from the pros! Visit an open house or a model unit for sale, to see how they are designed and accessorized.

6. Still not sure what to do? Drop me a line. I have resources and advice to help you stage your way to sales success.