Sellers: The Benefits of Staging Your Home by Kris Berg ( Featured on HGTV.COM)→

Your home might be beautiful. Maybe it is immaculate, stylishly appointed to suit your tastes or highly upgraded with the finest materials and features. Perhaps it is all of these things. But, unless you are one in a thousand, it is not “staged.”

Staging a home for sale is not a new concept, but it is a practice that has gained steam with our more challenging market. I see many home sellers confuse staging with decorating and consequently resisting the process and the recommendations of the staging professional. But the reality is that the moment you commit to marketing your home for sale, you need to commit to transforming your home into a place that potential buyers can easily picture as their home. This means that you need to be prepared to emotionally detach.

Let your home speak to buyers.

Your home speaks to you, but what is it saying to your potential buyer? Most sellers we encounter tend to take the staging process personally, and this is precisely the point. Our homes are personal, yet how we live is not how we sell. Our homes represent who we are; they are life-sized memory books of our travels, they trumpet our likes, our dislikes and our beliefs. They showcase our stuff -- all that stuff we have accumulated over time that speaks to us. The goal of staging is to make the home speak to everyone else, in a compelling and positive way.

You are proud of your Hummel collection. Each piece acquired over time has a special meaning, but to your buyer, it is a collection of your things which serves only to draw his attention away from the main event. Likewise the personal photos, the too-tall centerpiece, the overstuffed china cabinet and the bookcase filled with National Geographic magazines dating back to the Paleozoic Era -- these are all treasures to be sure, but they serve only to sidetrack a buyer from the task at hand.

Buyers tend to label the homes they see, as do agents. So, you can either be the “house with the beautiful arched doorways” or the “house with the Elvis throw rug and a bunch of office furniture where the dining room should be.” Both evoke emotional reactions, but unless the buyer is one who spends his annual vacations at Graceland, you will be far better served by eliminating distractions.

Clutter may suggest your home doesn’t measure up.

Most of us, if honest, will admit that our daily lives involve a certain amount of clutter. The little stack of mail and car keys and loose change next to the telephone, the “junk drawer” which has been busy propagating the species while no one was looking, and a bathroom with enough toiletries on display to groom the entire population of Northern Ireland are all examples. OK, I’m talking about my home here, but we all have our own flavors of clutter.

True, clutter is just another perpetrator of distraction. More importantly, though, your clutter may be sending a message that you don’t have enough space. My own kitchen counter top is at this moment permanent home to a toaster, a toaster oven, a coffee pot, a butcher block of knives, a canister of utensils and a bowl of random items of fruit origin, the latter living out their golden years in a decorative bowl. This arrangement (except for the brown bananas) is functional, but to another person it might suggest I lack the cabinet space to properly store these everyday items. And, if I'm hoping that this other person will buy my home, I need to clean up my act.

Don’t shoot the stager.

The primary goal of staging is not to transform your home into the eighth wonder of the world. For most of us, this simply isn’t realistic. Rather, the best stagers will work with what you have, rearranging and reallocating all of your belongings, in order to present the property in its best light. Sometimes this means reallocating some of those belongings to the garage.

Too often the tendency is take the process personally, but you shouldn’t. Staging is not a do-it-yourself sport, and only a third party specialist can bring the neutrality and objectivity needed to accomplish the goal. You may interpret the message that your favorite painting would look much better above the fireplace -- in your neighbor’s house -- as an indictment on your style and tastes. OK, maybe it is, but most likely it is not. Rather, it is probably the stager’s attempt to ensure that your appointments don’t upstage the home itself. That’s his/her job.

Make no mistake -- professional staging is an inconvenience. Your daily routine will be turned, at least temporarily, on its head. And it can be unsettling as you watch your life rearranged to suit the tastes of others. But if selling your home in the shortest amount of time and for the most money is your goal, it is precisely those "others” who should be your focus.

Selling a Home Fast: 10 Tips to Make it Happen By Laura Mueller

My husband and I recently went through the process of selling our home. It was the first time taking on this endeavor for both of us, and in the week or so before we went on the market we found ourselves plagued with a whole lot of stress and one big question: What if we can’t sell this house?

We had reason to be worried. We’re currently in the process of building a new home, and needed to sell so we could get moving into a rental while the build gets finished. If we didn’t sell, we’d be stuck with two homes, two mortgages, and too much responsibility. So we did everything we could think of to optimize our home for a fast sale. Four days after going on the market, we were under contract.

There is, of course, an element of luck to selling a home fast, but if you’re doing everything right on your end, it’s only a matter of time before the right buyer comes along. On the flip side, if you’re failing to take the necessary steps to optimize your home for a fast sale, you may be turning off potential buyers who might have made an offer if things were different.

To sell your home fast, you have to take an active role in the process. Don’t sit back and wait for the buyer who can see past potential flaws. Do your homework, make fixes, and go out of your way to show just how great your property is. Here are 10 tips to guide you through the process.

1. Choose your agent wisely

   When I see a home that’s been sitting on the market for a while and has some obvious detractors, like Christmas lights still hanging up in March or an unkempt lawn, my first thought is always that the sellers deserve a better agent. You want to be working with a realtor who is as invested in selling your home as you are, which means someone who will tell you exactly what you’re doing wrong and how you can improve it – not someone who will just stick a lock box on your front door and help coordinate showings.

   When you’re selecting an agent to work with, ask for referrals from people you trust and who have been through the process itself. And consider your particular needs. If your home could use some help with staging, find an agent who has experience in design. If you’re selling a fixer upper, find an agent who has a proven track record of selling those types of homes. You have a lot of options when it comes to agents, so choose one who is a fit for your specific situation.

   Tip: Research Real Estate Agents with Realtor.com

2. Go on the market at the right time

   The housing market ebbs and flows throughout the year on a pretty set schedule. While it’s not impossible to sell a home in November or December, you’re much more likely to have success in the spring, when more buyers are out looking. If you’re trying to sell a home quickly, your best bet is to list no earlier than late February so that you can take advantage of the heavy activity.

3. Get professional pictures taken

   Photos are the very first thing a buyer will see of your home, and they can dictate whether they end up scheduling a showing or not. Good real estate photos should highlight the best features of your home, with every measure taken to make the space look as warm and inviting as possible. It’s not as easy as it sounds, and it’s not something you should trust to just anybody.

   My photographer scheduled our shoot around the weather so that we could be sure to have a sunny day that showcased the great natural light our home gets. He also had us clear out our home for pictures the same as we would do for showings: clear counters, minimal clutter, and targeted staging. Your photos are one of the most important parts of your listing, so make sure they’re done right. If they’re not, you’re going to get less potential buyers through the door.

4. Price it right

   Everybody wants to make as much money as possible off their home sale, but it’s important to be realistic. What you paid for the home matters significantly less than what the market is dictating at the time, particularly if your goal is to sell fast. While you don’t have to under-price your home for a quick sale, you do have to price it smartly. Use a home estimate tool to get a basic idea of what range you’re looking at, and then work with your realtor to come up with a starting number that makes the most sense in light of the market and your objectives.

5. Declutter

   As soon as you know you’re going to list your home (and before pictures), get to work on clearing out clutter from your home. Rent a storage unit or find a family member willing to share some extra space in their home and box up everything that you won’t need in the near future. This includes out-of-season clothing, books, most of your décor, and pretty much anything that’s been sitting in the back of your closets and cabinets for a while. The less stuff you have cluttering your home, the more that buyers will be able to see the space itself, and not the items crowding it.

6. Depersonalize

   Buyers need to be able to see themselves in the property, and they’re going to have a tough time doing that if they’re looking at your family photos. The sooner you can remove any items that personalize the home – photos, mail, personal papers, etc. – the better you can present a blank slate to the buyers who come through.

7. Stage your home

   Decluttering and depersonalizing are part of the staging process, but not all of it. To sell quickly, your home needs to be decorated in a way that highlights its best assets. Achieving that can mean anything from rearranging your furniture to open up the space (and removing furniture that’s bulky or unnecessary), painting your walls with neutral colors, and repairing obvious imperfections. You’ll also want to be sure to get rid of anything that dates your house, like holiday decorations or a snow shovel leaning against the garage. Follow these staging tipsto make sure that you’re designing your space in a way that will appeal to buyers and show them that they won’t need to do a ton of work if and when they move in.

8. Be accommodating

   The selling process can be a bit of a pain, especially when buyers start scheduling showings and you have to get out of the house. But it could be worse… you could have no buyers coming through at all! When we were selling our home, we made sure to say yes to every single showing request, even the one where we were in the middle of lunch and had to be out of the house – with two pets – in 15 minutes. Unless it’s truly impossible, rearrange your schedule around what’s ideal for the buyer, not what’s ideal for you. If you suggest a new time than what’s requested, the buyer or their agent may not be able to make it work and so may just pass on visiting the property entirely.

9. Set yourself apart

   I wanted the potential buyers who came through our house to feel warm and welcome, so for every showing that came through I set out fresh cookies on the kitchen counter with a sign saying “help yourself.” It was such a simple thing, but we got a ton of positive feedback about it. A little extra step like that helps buyers remember your property, and also puts them in a good mood right off the bat. If you don’t want to put out baked goods, consider setting out water bottles or a basket of fruit. Regardless of what you choose to do, a tiny bit of extra effort will help you stand out from the competition.

10. Ask for feedback

    Some buyers’ agents will contact your realtor after a showing to give feedback on the property – good or bad – but many don’t. You want to know exactly what you’re doing right and wrong though, so it’s important to get clear feedback from every single agent who comes through your door. Make sure your realtor is always following up with buyers’ agents to get their opinion on the property and finding out what buyers liked or didn’t like about what they saw. Then use that feedback to make changes as necessary.

The average home sells between 65-70 days, but it is absolutely possible to sell faster than that if you take the time to optimize each aspect of the process. While you can’t make a buyer materialize out of thin air, you can do everything in your power to make sure that when the right buyer does come along, they know immediately that they’ve found their perfect fit.

Staging Secrets from 'Designed to Sell

Quick staging ideas from our real estate experts. ( Written By HGTV.COM Team)

Your house’s furnishings suit you fine, but your beloved rooster wallpaper might not suit the masses. Look at your house from a buyer’s perspective, and make minor enhancements to put its best foot forward. Here are ten quick, inexpensive fixes that will spruce up your home:

Make the front door inviting. Potential buyers often drive by before deciding they want to see the inside of a house, so make sure the front-door area looks nice.

Clear away clutter. Put away personal photos, knickknacks, boxes -- anything that will distract the buyer from concentrating on the house. People won't buy a house if they can't see the square footage, so clear it out and clean it up.

"Clutter gives the perception that there's not enough storage in the house," says real estate expert Shannon Freeman of the L.A. team. A basic rule of thumb to decide whether or not something is clutter is "if you can't sit on it, it's not decoration, and you can't eat it, it's clutter," says designer Lisa LaPorta, also of the L.A. team.

Clean the house thoroughly. Take time to make bathrooms sparkle, wash the windows, and clean kitchen appliances. Don't forget under the sinks!

Freshen up your rooms. A little paint can go a long way in making your home sellable: repaint much-used rooms in neutral colors to make them look clean and fresh.

Arrange furniture to showcase your space. Remove extra, unwanted furniture and arrange remaining pieces in a way that creates smooth traffic flow. Good furniture placement can help show off a room and makes a huge impact as a buyer walks through, says real estate expert Terry Haas from the Washington, D.C., team. "If you want to make a room look bigger, pull the furniture off the wall because people are allowed to see the perimeter of the room, and it creates the illusion of a larger space," adds designer Lisa LaPorta from the L.A. team.

Do all you can to reduce odors. People never forget smells when they walk in the door. Try your best to remove odors caused by pets, smoking and cooking. Nothing is worse than a smelly home, so make it fresh!

"Before an open house, open up all of the windows and air the house out. Boil cinnamon, bake cookies, bake bread -- do anything you can to have the air smelling fresh and clean,” advises designer Lisa LaPorta. Carpenter Chad Lopez offers another idea for bringing in some pleasant scents: "You can actually buy, from the paint store, scent packets, which you add to the paint before you paint the walls. As time goes by, they will gradually release a scent."

Perform any necessary repairs. Take a hard look around your home and see it from a buyer's perspective: oil door and window hinges, fix loose handrails, etc.

"Deferred maintenance -- for example, large cracks in your sidewalks on the way up to the door -- send red flags to buyers," says designer Monica Pedersen. "It costs you less to fix it than buyers might deduct from their asking price. So do the math, and fix it yourself," adds designer Lisa LaPorta.

Replace outdated light fixtures. Wall sconces, recessed lighting or pendant lights are good alternatives to that single old-fashioned overhead fixture.

Clean the carpeting. Unless it's extremely worn, you may be able to avoid replacing carpet before you sell. Buyers often prefer to choose their own new carpet or opt for hardwood floors.

How to Stage a House to Sell ( By Zillow.com)

If the word “staging” conjures up the idea that you’re putting on a show for prospective buyers, you’re on the right track. In a well-staged home, you’re putting the home in the spotlight and inviting buyers to imagine themselves taking a starring role. To do that, you need to step behind the scenes and give buyers room to imagine themselves taking the lead as homeowner. 

Here are some tips to set a scene that will leave the critics — or at least the home buyers — raving.

Why stage a home before selling?

Whether you’re going DIY in staging your house to sell or calling in a professional, taking the time to stage your home for potential buyers can be an effective way to make your house stand out against other listings in your area.

Staging your home can help potential buyers picture themselves in the space — a crucial first step in getting them to consider making an offer. And, you’ll be in good company among other sellers. According to the Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report, 82 percent of urban sellers, 71 percent of suburban sellers, and 61 percent of rural sellers say that staging their home is one of the top pre-listing activities they complete.

Staging tips for selling your home: Where to start

• Declutter: Go room by room, removing the items you won’t need between now and moving day. Pay extra attention to cabinets, closets, and pantries — you want to give potential buyers the impression that your home has ample storage. Not sure where to put all your extra stuff? Consider getting a temporary storage unit.

• Depersonalize: Remember, potential buyers want to be able to picture themselves calling your house home, and that’s hard to do if all they see are family photos, personal items, and keepsakes. While it might be a bit emotional, take a run through your home and remove the decor items that make your house feel personally yours.   

• Erase signs of pets: You may love your cat, but potential buyers may not (or they may have an allergy). Make sure to clean thoroughly and remove toys, food dishes, and water bowls.

• Deep clean: As your mother would say, “Clean like company is coming.” In fact, you may want to go one step further. Aim to clean to a point where it looks like nobody actually lives in the home: no smudges on the windows, no dust bunnies on the floor, no water marks on the counters. A clean home tells potential buyers that you’ve taken great care of the property.