Moving can be very exciting and very stressful all at the same time.
Once the decision to move has been made, the first thing you need to do is contact us. It would be our pleasure to meet with you and together, we will discuss many factors including current market conditions, a marketing plan for your home, an accurate list price and perhaps the most important part...getting the home prepared to go on the market. In other words Home Staging!
Whether homeowners realize it or not, Home Staging is a process that has been going on for many, many years. In the early days, Home Staging could have been as simple as picking up dirty laundry, cleaning dishes, cutting the grass, weeding the gardens and oiling squeaky doors. Only in the past few years has it become so much more than that.
Although many homeowners today have exceptional taste and their homes are already very nice, how you choose to live on a day to day basis isn’t necessarily always the best way to present your home to potential buyers during the Home Selling process.
What will a Home Stager do?
This is where our professional Home Stager comes in to play. They will help YOU look at the home from a typical home buyer’s perspective, make suggestions, and help you make even minor changes to give your home that best “First Impressions”.
Many homeowners find the Home Staging process a little overwhelming. Depending on the individual house, there may or may not be much to do. Regardless, it’s very important to separate your emotions from the task at hand. You must stop looking at the house as your “home” and start thinking of it as a product that you need to market. It might be difficult, but prepare yourself to take criticism and suggestions from people about your home.
During your complimentary Home Staging consultation, we will all walk around the house together while our Home Stager discusses options and suggestions room-by-room. These suggestions could include moving or removing furniture, painting, DE-cluttering etc. A comprehensive plan of action will be provided to when we are done to show you how to maximize your home’s value.
Home Staging "Plan of Action"
Once you have your “Plan of Action” in hand, it’s time to get to work. Typically the first step is the DE-cluttering process. Buyers want to walk in and see clean and organized. Why not start packing away all those items you don’t use on a daily basis.
During the DE-cluttering process, you will also be DE-personalizing. It’s time to start taking down family portraits, pictures, diplomas, trophies etc. The people coming in to see your home need to imagine it as their home and not yours. Besides, you want prospective Home Buyers to spend time looking at the home and not your personal items. They can be distracting to buyers.
If painting was suggested, now is the time to do it. A Professional paint job freshens up the house and can provide a nice soothing neutral palate for Home Buyers to envision themselves in. Your painter should ensure that any holes and imperfections in the walls are patched and prepped prior to painting. This gives a new buyer a clean slate to hang artwork and photos as they choose.
Once the big work is done, it's time to clean like never before: think of it as a grand finale. Clean, sweep, vacuum, dust off everything. Your walls, chimney, rooms, washrooms, cupboards, drawers, tables, windows and even carpets if necessary. Clean everything.
If necessary, make sure you use some air freshener to remove any odors or smells, however, you don’t want to use too much and over-powers the senses, and fragrance should be very subtle.
The final step is moving or removing furniture, put the bed linens on, hang matching bathroom towels, selectively place accessories around the home and hang artwork according to your Home Stager's plan of action. A final vacuum once the house is done is always a good idea as well.
Something to keep in mind is that in certain situations, there may be times when borrowing or renting furniture is something you need to consider, however, our Home Stager does their best to work with your existing furniture and accessories.
Once the house is ready, we will arrange for the photographer to come in and capture that amazing “First Impression” that home buyers will be intrigued by.
Yes...you are correct, this does sound like a lot of work. So why is staging so important? Well, it’s absolutely possible to get a fair price for your home without staging, however, there are far more advantages to having a staged home.
Benefits of Home Staging
It is estimated that in today’s Technology age, over 90% of Home Buyers start their shopping on line. That means the first impression a buyer has of your home is the photos and virtual tour we put online. Their first impression will usually be what helps them decide if are interested in scheduling an appointment to see your home or not. Part of our job is to ensure that your home will appear on hundreds of websites, not only locally, but World Wide.
We need to maximize the online exposure to your home and therefore, First Impressions are not important, they are CRUCIAL.
In the famous words of Will Rogers ~ “You never get a second chance to make a good First Impression”
To get your home sold fast and for top dollar, contact us today.
