Effective Home Staging Tip Series #6: Setting the Stage for Your Home Selling Success

Now that you've laid the groundwork and spruced up the property, it's time to Set the Stage for Your Home Selling Success.Be forewarned. I have so much to say about this topic and of course, not enough room to teach it all in this brief lesson. Know that I have devoted the majority of the Home Buyer Attraction System to this topic so you will have more than enough before and after photos and case studies to model. In today’s lesson, I will give you some tips that you will find helpful, but I strongly encourage you, if you haven't done so already, to get on the Priority Notification List for the "Do-It-Yourself Home Buyer Attraction System" so you can learn How to Create Your Own Irresistible, Market Ready Home that SELLS and take full advantage of what I have outlined for you by showcasing what I have done for hundreds of clients.When Staging a property, the first thing to remember is to stand at the doorway or entry into the room and look at the space from that perspective. Why? Because that’s how the majority of buyers view a room, from the door. Rarely do they walk fully into the space to look at it, unless it’s a passageway to another room. So with that said, whatever you see from that angle is what you’ll “Stage”. Don’t worry about the wall space behind the door or to the side of the door because it’s not important. 98% of your traffic will never see it.Exterior entry: this, in conjunction with the landscaping, is the first impression, so set the tone with a new welcome or doormat. Coir or seagrass mats are the best choices.Interior entry: a console table with a mirror or piece of art is always a nice touch.Place a beautiful potted silk floral arrangement (my favorite are orchids) or even a vase of fresh flowers on the table. Deciding between fresh or silk floral will depend on your availability and ability to maintain the appearance of the fresh floral. The console table is always a convenient place for real estate agents to leave a business card after showing the property. There are demilune (half round) styles and rectangular options. I’ve even used drop leaf tables or small tables to serve this purpose. Shop around your house and see what you can find.Traffic flow: make sure that your furniture placement does not inhibit people from walking into or through a room. There was a property that I was asked to consult on after it had been sitting on the market for a few months with no offers. There were several things wrong with this property (like a 60” widescreen tv in a very small family room – this was not a plasma either – you know, the older models that were bigger than you). I watched at an open house where people literally walked in the door, and walked right back out. They never even got to see the monster tv in the family room. Why? Because in the living room, there was a ginormous leather sectional sofa that not only took up the entire living room, but it encroached on the adjoining dining room and it created a barrier immediately upon entry. The back of the L greeted you at the front door. This was very uninviting to say the least and it made the room look ridiculously tiny and obviously, it turned buyers off.Kitchens and Baths: I always say these rooms NEVER look good naked. Yes, we want to declutter, but we don’t want spaces to be void of personality. Fresh new towels, a pretty shower curtain, a colorful rug and some complimentary accessories are all you really need for a typical bathroom. I usually find inspiration in a piece of art and pull a design or color theme from that. Kitchens still need to be functional while you’re living in the home, so I don’t think you need to go overboard with decorating, but reducing the counter clutter to just the much needed coffee machine and toaster oven would be advisable. Eliminate fridge magnets and all the notes that congregate in this area. Purchasing a few silk ivy plants to fill in corners and add color would be money well spent.Bedrooms: It is important to ensure that beds are made EVERYDAY, laundry is stashed away in the hamper and toys are neatly stored. Teen rooms tend to have a lot of wall clutter with posters and the like. While the house is on the market, those items will have to be removed. The master bedroom is one of the biggest selling points in a property so make sure it shows well. If needed, purchase new bedding, remove excess furniture, and add a bed frame to lift the mattresses off the ground.Hope you enjoyed your crash course in Staging. As I mentioned before, this section of the Home Buyer Attraction System is very extensive and goes into detail how to stage every room in a house.Stay tuned for #7 in our Effective Home Staging Tip Series where we will dive into a very important part of this whole process - mastering the inner game of home selling.INVITATION: Visit us at http://HomeBuyerAttractionSystem.com and get on our VIP Priority Notification List to receive updates about the Do-It-Yourself Home Buyer Attraction System and receive behind-the-scenes information to help you get your house SOLD!