Setting the stage for homebuyers
With the number of available homes sitting on the market, sellers are looking at ways to get ahead of the competition by setting the stage for home buyers.
鈥淭he more attractive you can make a home, the easier it is to sell,鈥� said Scott Cavinee, a broker with SWC Properties in Uniontown.
Realtor Magazine reported that home staging makes a home look neat, stylish and inviting to a potential home buyer.
鈥淪taging starts with making sure a house is clean,鈥� said Cavinee. Being free of clutter is also recommended.
Home staging also provides sellers with a return investment.
The U.S. Housing and Urban Development reported a staged home sells for up to 17 percent more compared with a non-staged home.
As with most home improvement projects, sellers can hire a professional home stager or do it themselves.
One aspect that Cavinee said is often overlooked in home staging is making sure that heating and air conditioning temperatures are at comfortable levels.
According to Cavinee, home staging doesn鈥檛 have to be costly and can be as simple as tackling obvious functional improvements such as repairing leaks, painting and making sure the house is free of odors.
Cavinee suggested simple items like new bedding, comforters and bath towels can also add flare while in some cases, new counter tops in the kitchen or bathroom may be required if they are outdated.
If there is wallpaper in the house, Cavinee recommended to remove it and instead paint the wall a neutral color.
Re-arranging or eliminating pieces of furniture along with purchasing new light fixtures are also inexpensive ways to make a home look more modern. 鈥淟ighting is important, especially in the darker months,鈥� said Cavinee.
Aside from the home蘑菇视频 interior, Cavinee said the outside should also have curb appeal.
鈥淪elling a home is like being on stage,鈥� said Barb Schwarz, founder of International Association of Home Staging Professionals.
Schwarz, a former theater actress, said, 鈥淵ou have to set the scene for every different act, for every room.鈥�
Schwarz said the point of staging a room or an entire home is to create a memorable impression for the buyer.
With more people using their smart phones and the Internet to search for houses, Cavinee said a lot of them remember a certain detail that attracted them to the home from the picture that was posted.
For 42 percent of homeowners, the National Association of Realtors listed the first step in the home buying process as looking on line for properties.
Schwarz pointed out that statistics show 90 percent of customers shopping for homes on the Internet look at a listing for three seconds.
Buyers who go to a home make up their minds within six seconds of walking in the door.
鈥淪taging prepares any home, occupied or vacant, and regardless of price, condition or location, to go on the market for sale,鈥� said Courtney Tyler of New England, a certified home stager, member of the Home Stagers Guild, Interior Redesigners Guild and Real Estate Staging Association (RESA).
A 2013 study by RESA found that homes that were not staged would sit on the market an average of 143 days.
Once staged, RESA reported the same homes sold on average in 40 days.
The association further noted that buyers most often don鈥檛 have the funds to purchase a home in addition to having to pay more money to address needed repairs, painting and other updates on the property.