A hugely important component of selling your house is showing it, and successful showings require preparation and decorating to appeal to buyers. It is, in fact, a lot like setting the stage and getting all the props in place for a play. The job there is not to please the actors, but to give the audience what they want. And that principle holds when you decorate to sell your house in Martinsburg, Hagerstown, Frederick & Charles Town . Why? Because houses that have been properly prepared and decorated sell faster and at a better price than those that haven’t been. So here’s what you should do.
Get the Right Mindset
The first and most important step when you decorate to sell your house in Martinsburg, Hagerstown, Frederick & Charles Town is to think about it in the right way. “What most homeowners need to understand,” according to a top professional stager, “is that the way a home should be presented for resale and the way you live in your home are two completely different things. Most of us don’t’ actually live in our lives like a page torn out of House Beautiful.”
The pros also recommend keeping in mind that you are selling your house, not the contents. So get rid of extra, unnecessary, cluttering items – area rugs, knick-knacks, furniture – to make rooms appear and feel more spacious. The idea is to create flow, encouraging buyers’ eyes to move “easily from room to room, reflecting on the best features of your home rather than on the possessions.” Basically, get rid of your emotional attachment to your possessions, and try to see your house through buyers’ eyes.
Put Away Photos and Personal Items
Similarly, you need to remove photos and other personal items that reflect your life and your personality when you decorate to sell your house in Martinsburg, Hagerstown, Frederick & Charles Town . You want to create a blank slate to allow buyers to envision your house as their home. Experts recommend that you remove “any type of family photos, anything overly personal in the home because you want to appeal to the largest demographic possible.” And you won’t be able to do that if evidence of your life and your personality is scattered all over your house.
Use a Neutral Palette
Another thing that helps to achieve that crucial blank-slate effect is using a neutral palette throughout your house. But that doesn’t mean you have to paint all the walls in a boring beige. You can also use grays and other neutral tones. Just keep in mind that if your goal is to decorate to sell your house in Martinsburg, Hagerstown, Frederick & Charles Town , you want to appeal to as many buyers as possible – or, as the decorating pros put it, “90 percent of the people 90 percent of the time.” If you do want some bright color, be sure to limit it to things like paintings, accent pillows, and other accessories.
Spruce Up the Entry
If, as one top real estate TV personality claims, the “the number-one, topmost important item is the exterior,” then you must spruce up the entry. The front door is one the first things buyers see and an important element of curb appeal – one that makes potential buyers want to go inside and see more. The fact is if you can’t get them through the door, you’ll have a hard time making a sale. So upgrade that front entry door and install new hardware that meshes well with other accessories like house numbers. An added bonus is that replacing the front door yields a decent ROI.
Consider Your Location
When you decorate to sell your house in Martinsburg, Hagerstown, Frederick & Charles Town , you also have to keep in mind that you aren’t working in isolation. You also have to consider the location and the look and style of the neighborhood – whether modern, traditional or eclectic. Your most effective decorating tactic will be to align your design scheme with what is specific to and predominant in the neighborhood. Experts advise being “in tune with where the home is and what design taste for that is.”
Use Professionals
For most people, decorating to sell their house means hiring professionals, especially a professional staging service. to get it exactly right. The chief benefit of using a professional home stager is that she can point out things you probably wouldn’t notice, as well as advising you about the smaller improvements that can make a big difference and get you a better sale price. In addition, a good stager can help you avoid spending money on decorating and improvements that won’t really make much of a difference.
And as with hiring any professional help, perform your due diligence and check out their reputations and credentials. Experts in this arena suggest that you interview “two or three home stagers at your home. Find out what they will (and won’t) do, how long it might take, what the fees are, and how soon they might be able to start. Ask for references from recent customers, see photos of their ‘before’ and ‘after’ homes, and get their opinion on what exactly needs to be done in your home.”
So if your goal is to decorate to sell your house in Martinsburg, Hagerstown, Frederick & Charles Town , make sure you understand what you’re really trying to accomplish and hire qualified professionals to help. It’s also a good idea to consult your local real estate agent and let her put you in touch with top-notch decorating professionals. Local markets have their own idiosyncrasies, and your agent can help you appeal to that specific buying audience. To discover more, contact us today! 3017071678