Are you an HGTV junkie? If only selling a home were that easy…just stick a For Sale sign in the yard, and BOOM, your home is under contract! The good news is it can be done if you’re willing to put in some upfront investment and elbow grease. Because we are in a balancing market (meaning inventory is on the rise), this means more competition and longer days longer list times. It’s imperative to set your home apart from the others in order to get top dollar. That’s why you need The Wistrick Team to guide you through what is necessary to make that happen.

PROS: Staged homes typically sell for 5% more than their competition in less than half the time on market. Need I say any more? Just ask Desiree at DMD Home Staging (her company stages our listings).

CONS: Paint, decor and updating costs money upfront. Staged homes are not the easiest to live normal life in, but remember, it’ only temporary. The byproduct of NOT staging your home in a competitive market results in a lower sales price and longer list cycles.

Here are the top 5 things to do when staging:

1. Start with de-cluttering. Removing all the unnecessary things from a room will help set the stage for the the following four items. Remove extra bulky pieces of furniture, take down excessive photos, and de-personalize (sports teams, family photos, etc). Yes, you will likely need to get a storage unit, so pop on to PublicStorage.com to get the best rates rather than going in person. We receive a lot of resistance when clients are considering a storage unit. You are prepping your home to sell, right? If so, that means you are going to be packing up to move anyway.

2. Neutralize the wall colors. Go with light grey tones…that is what they use in all the model homes (for good reason). It’s in style right now and photographs well. If you have “loud” or 1990’s colors like taupe, mustard, red or brown tones, that screams the age of the home to buyers. Painting alone can help make rooms look updated and fresh!

3. Consider professional staging. We use a professional stager on many of our listings simply because it works. It’s well worth the money to have updated furniture, in-style decor, and professionally laid out spaces. Will you get your money back? Almost a 100% guarantee you’ll get a higher sales price due to staging. Statistically, you also make more money (5-10% more) and sell faster than the market averages…certainly worth considering. It’s almost all psychological to buyers, so ensure you aren’t turning them off the minute they walk in your front door.

4. Smell. Yes, buyers are seeing AND smelling! Make sure to either replace pet stained/smelly carpets or have them deep cleaned prior to listing. Also, change air filters and make sure pets are out of the home during showings. Oil diffusers with fresh scents are popular right now, so crank those on (they aren’t overwhelming like those cheap plug-in’s).

5. Landscaping & Exterior. If your curb appeal is rough, many buyers are looking at your home negatively before they ever step foot inside. So trim those overgrown bushes, freshen up exterior paint if needed, paint or stain the front door, throw down fresh mulch and de-weed the lawn.

If you do these 5 things, you will be photo-ready and positioned to sell much faster than your competition, guaranteed! Since we are in the market every single day, we know exactly what buyers are looking at. These items are for your benefit, so pull up those sleeves and help raise your sales price!

Know someone looking to sell? Help put some extra money in their pocket and pass this blog on!

Cheers,

Mike Wistrick, The Wistrick Team