Home Staging Works. And Yes, You Can Do it for Free.
If someone were to ask you what would best help sell your vacant house, selling it empty or staged, how would you answer?
Every time we’ve asked that question to our clients, they have said staged. And they are correct. Usually, it can cost anywhere between $1,000 to $2,500 per month, depending on the size of your home. For a typical single-family home, that could set you back $3,000 – $4,500 depending on the days on market. Edmonton home staging companies are readily available to bring your house to life and help you get the most out of the sale price. Most often, the bump in price from a beautifully staged home helps to alleviate the cost of staging, but the outlay of cost is a very real deterrent for anyone who seeks to sell their home.
At Realty Unleashed, we know what you know: that a staged house sells faster and for more, and that’s what we want for you! We also know that paying for staging feels like a risk, so that’s why Realty Unleashed offers free home staging in Edmonton for vacant properties—YAY! And don’t worry, if you are selling your home while you are still residing in it, we’ve got some tips to share that will help you make the most of what you’ve already got! Keep reading to find out why home staging works.
Home Staging gets more viewings, and more viewings = faster sale!
Putting your house up for sale, especially when it’s vacant, can seem risky because there is the uncertainty of when a sale will come. Staging your home will drastically improve the chances of a sale, and for a sale to be achieved faster! One of the key drivers of traffic to your house is the pictures posted in your listing. Having staged spaces helps the people who view your property online to differentiate between rooms, and to get a more visual sense of the space.
According to the National Association of Realtors, 95% of buyers are looking online for homes, which means your online presence is paramount! This is why we, and staging companies in Edmonton, recommend that you stage your house before listing. Beautifully staged spaces, in combination with great photos taken in natural light, will help to make your house look its best! Better performing properties on REALTOR.ca result in more in-person viewings, and the more in-person viewings the faster your house will sell! Making the sale as quickly as possible is usually high on the to-do list, so to check that off the list, consider staging the house even before listing it.
Create great experiences by maximizing first impressions.
Picture this: you are doing a walk-through of a home and you get to the living room. The living room has a trendy leather couch, a big beautiful area rug, and a coffee table with Joanna Gaines’ decor book. You walk over to the back door, which takes you to the backyard. You can already see your dog running around outside with his favourite squeak ball that drives your husband crazy. Are you home yet? Look, our point is that home staging is going to give your buyer a peek into their life in your home. Buyers want to be able to visualize themselves in the house; they need to be able to see how every room can be used, think: seeing is believing. And it’s really hard to believe you could live in a cold and empty house!
Besides falling in love, buyers are often concerned with their future home being “move-in ready.” So, being able to facilitate that by adding tasteful furnishings and decorative touches lends to their experience. These first impressions are significant. Most buyers will make their decision whether they are going to buy a house in the first 5 minutes of viewing a property. By capitalizing on this sentiment, you can position your property as a better competitor.
Tips to stage your own home with what you’ve already got.
For a lot of home sellers, it is not practical to move out of your home before you sell it. And while Realty Unleashed has sometimes been known to add some bits here and there to help seller’s who currently live in their house, most staging services in Edmonton require the home to be vacant, and we must adhere to the same policy to make sure that our furniture can stay in great shape for our clients to come! But never fear, here are some great tips that can help you stage your own home with the belongings that you already have!
Home staging tip 1: declutter, declutter, declutter
We can’t say it enough. This should be the first step you take and it will make the rest of the staging process much easier on you. Clear the shelves, the mantels, countertops, and tables. You can even look at this as the first part of the packing process – a double whammy. Need boxes to help? Realty Unleashed has got you.
Home staging tip 2: de-personalize
Buyers want to be able to visualize themselves in your home. It’s okay to leave a few neutral paintings up, but try your best to pave the way for the imagination of your potential buyers.
Home staging tip 3: your T.V. takes a back seat
Many people have televisions in their living rooms, but when it comes to staging, it’s a good idea to either remove it or avoid making it the center of attention. Instead, try channelling a cozy space where you would want to curl up with a book or have a conversation over tea with a friend. Make your couches and coffee table the eye-catching scene by placing a clean throw blanket over your seating arrangements, and consider putting a new candle or a neutral book on top of the coffee table.
Home staging tip 4: light it up
Take a look around your house and see which light fixtures need a tune-up. Replace dim bulbs with warm-toned but high-output bulbs; this will give rooms a homey, comfortable feel.
Realty Unleashed has a specially trained Curb Appeal Crew who are eager to assist you in making sure your home looks presentable and ready-to-sell, and our Crew will help to keep those costs at bay. A whopping 40% of buyers noted that home staging influenced their view of a home, for this reason, and others we’ve mentioned, Realty Unleashed truly believes in the value of staging services, which is why we offer it for free. Whichever way you choose to go, whether it be with us, another company, or on your own, we hope this article has emphasized the advantage that home staging offers when it’s time to sell your home!