Listing 101: Staging Your Home to Sell

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By guest blogger Eric Bramlett

Are you preparing to put your home on the market? If so, it is essential for you to do everything possible to make your stand out from among the other homes that are on the market. In fact, since we are in the midst of a buyer’s market, leaving a positive impression on the buyer has never been more important than it is right now. Fortunately, there are several things that you can do to make your home stand out without having to spend a whole lot of money. In some cases, the best methods for preparing a home for sale don’t require any monetary investment at all!

In the real estate industry, the process of preparing a home to be viewed by potential buyers is referred to staging. Staging a home is different from making repairs or renovating a home. Rather, staging involves taking steps to transform a house into a home. In other words, the goal of staging is to help the buyer envision himself living in the home. There are many simple steps that you can take to make this happen. Some of these include:

• Remove Clutter – not only is clutter unattractive, but it also makes a home appear small and cramped. If it is not a necessity, get rid of it.
• Put Away Personal Items – personal mementos and souvenirs may make your home warm and inviting to you, but they make it difficult for a buyer to see anyone other than you living in the home.
• Turn on the Lights – no one wants to purchase a home that is dark and drab, so brighten things up by turning on all of the lights when potential buyers are coming by for a viewing.
• Open the Windows – weather permitting, you should open the windows to let in natural light as well as the fresh air. Both will create a light, airy and open feel that appeals to most buyers.
• Decorate with Flowers – placing potted flowers at your entryway and adding a vase filled with flowers to your table are two great ways to liven things up and make your home more appealing to buyers.
• Appeal to the Sense of Smell – the sense of smell is one of our strongest senses, so make sure you take steps to leave an impression on the noses of potential buyers. Smells such as baking apple pie and chocolate chip cookies are two great options. If you aren’t up for baking, scented candles can go a long way toward winning over buyers.

It’s important to remember that all real estate is local, so specific staging techniques may perform better in some markets than others. Buyers searching for homes in Austin may have different priorities than those in Minneapolis. Staging techniques typically don’t vary as greatly between markets, though, as they do between property types. For instance condominiums won’t require landscaping, whereas it’s one of the best investments you can make staging a single family residence.

About the Author:

Eric Bramlett is the broker & co-owner of One Source Realty, a boutique brokerage in Austin, Texas. Eric and his firm specialize in Steiner Ranch homes for sale, central/downtown Austin, and west Austin.