Showhomes Home Staging: Top Home Staging Tips in the Tough Real Estate Market

Home staging becomes standard part of selling a home in today’s market

In recent years, especially since the housing market tumble, home staging has become the secret to selling a home. Only it’s not really a secret anymore.

According to Matt Kelton, COO of Showhomes Home Staging, the entire mindset of home selling has shifted, and investing in home staging to help sell a home has become mainstream.

“I don’t know why a homeowner would choose not to stage a home,” says Kelton. “It is a sure way to shorten the sales time and often increases the sales price. It’s the best investment you can make.”

Showhomes was in the home staging arena before it was a household word. On the cutting edge of the industry with its unique twist on traditional home staging,  Showhomes uses live-in Home Managers to occupy, stage and care for vacant houses while they are on the market for sale.

In a recent Showhomes Realtor survey, 96 percent of real estate professionals said fully staged homes sell for higher prices than vacant houses. Another survey by the Real Estate Staging Association recently found that staged homes spent 78 percent less time on the market than the time they spent before staging.

Here are Showhomes Home Staging top 10 tips that work for any home:

  • Start with curb appeal. Potential buyers will drive right by your house if they don’t like what they see. Remove yard toys, bikes or other clutter. Keep the yard mowed and trimmed, re-mulch beds and add flowers for some color.
  • All buyers pass through the front door – clean and repaint the door if needed, place a healthy plant and new doormat to give it some life.
  • Pack up everything but the basics. Small decorative items distract from a room and can make a room appear cluttered. Use larger decorative items and fewer pictures.
  • Cold and shiny floors can be quickly warmed up with tasteful rugs.
  • Soften the light in a room. Overhead light can make a room appear harsh and unwelcoming. Soft light from table and floor lamps will warm up an otherwise cold-feeling room.
  • Re-think your wallpaper. Unless the wallpaper is new and neutral, it will likely detract from the way a room feels. Neutral colors are best to repaint with.
  • Clean out garages and closets. Most buyers search for larger homes and need more space. Crowded garages and closets send a ‘this house is too small’ message.
  • Less is more in the kitchen. Use a newer coffee pot, a few cookbooks and some colored accent towels to make it appear spacious.
  • Depersonalize rooms. Pack away family photos, ethnic and religious art. For most buyers, it is easier to visualize a room without distracting personal items.
  • Invest in staging and a live-in Home Manager to occupy the home. Occupied and staged homes require less of an up front investment from a homeowner and often outsell vacant houses.

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