Today’s home buyer is savvy and particular. They are well informed and have easy access to amazing images that have been carefully curated (staged) and generally, professionally photographed to show the property at its very best.
Because buyers view potential properties on line (very often via their cell phones), it’s critically important that sellers present their properties fully optimized for the buyers.
Staging and Then Marketing
Putting money into high quality photos, digital marketing and staging will bring in buyers who’ll be willing to pay more. This is definitely where the adage, “you get what you pay for” comes in play. This is precisely what we do at Chatel Group. We offer our clients the skill sets to not only help them get their home properly staged, but also provide the very best marketing to get their home seen.
Do Your Research
Sellers should do their homework by looking at listings on Instagram and Facebook. Clean, crisp and white is the order of the day. While you may love your accessories, they may not appeal to Buyers or “read” well on a cell phone, which is where 76% all Buyers found their homes in 2019.
First Edit. Edit. Edit. And Then Edit Again.
Before you can successfully stage, you must aggressively edit all your things: furniture, accessories, and photos. After editing, go through each room and take horizontal photos with the camera on your phone. Ask yourself, “would I buy this house?” If you think it needs some warmth or further editing, ask your Realtor to guide you.
Most Realtors, including Chatel Group, have staging inventory to add to and enhance your home and thus your digital presence. Trust them (us) to stage it. An empty home is a clean canvas while a home filled with a lot of taste specific furniture and memories is a turn off for the majority of the Buyers in the market.
Create Inviting Moments or Vignettes
Setting your table for a special occasion dinner, creating a cozy conversation corner, or dressing a window seat with pillows and a comfy throw, are all ways to invite the buyer in. The goal is to make it easy for potential buyers to envision enjoying the space. Your agent can show you before and after photos to see how a staged home appears in both scenarios.
A Realtor Who You Can Trust to Be Objective
The bottom line is to trust the Realtor you hired. They have your best interest at heart and want to help you achieve your goals of moving on to your next home. The agent / seller relationship is a team, working together for the same goal. If you don’t trust your Realtor with this or you don’t share the same taste, then find another Realtor whom you will trust.
Selling a house is stressful enough without having the seller and agent working at cross purposes. For more on what you can do to get your home ready for buyers, check out our earlier blog post, You’re Listing. Now What?
Contact Chatel Group today to go over any and all your real estate questions and concerns. They can help you make informed decisions about staging and listing your home, and walk you through how best to achieve your real estate goals.
