As Seen in the Naples Daily News and Bonita Daily News
If your house is staged properly, it will sell quicker than the same home next door that is without furniture. Oftentimes sellers think that it will make more sense to remove everything in the home, including furniture, and clean the property out. They think this will allow the buyer to visualize the space where their furniture, personal items, and decorations will go more easily. This, however, has the opposite effect. When a buyer walks into a home without furniture, it usually has a lifeless feeling to it. There’s no flow or energy in the property. I’m sure you have experienced the difference between the feeling of a home and a house.
Basically you want to remove clutter when you are staging. Get rid of any access. Clean out magazines and knick knacks, empty junk drawers, clear off kitchen counters covered in mini appliances and books, etc. Remove your personal pictures and items that make the home yours. Think about how a model home would look in a sales center.
If your house is vacant, get to a furniture store and rent furniture. Most of them have very affordable furniture packages that they offer as a monthly rate until your home sells. Be careful not to overdo it though. It’s most important to do the living room areas, kitchen/dining room, and the master bedroom
Make sure to keep blinds and shutters slightly open. If you have plantation shutters, keep the blades pointed slightly up, so light gently flows into the unit. Buyers love “light and bright”!
Put fresh flowers leading up to the entry way and inside the home. I suggest putting something live in every room. Even if it’s a single cut rose or lily in a vase, something simple provides an eloquent and attractive feel for potential buyers.
Use a plain black mat at the front door and if possible, put red flowers or red ceramic pots with flowers on each side of the black mat. This creates an appealing first impression and incorporates the principles of Feng Shui to help you sell your home quicker. Silk flowers are ok, but fresh are best – and water them! You don’t want dead, dried out flowers!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a hard-to-sell listing and decided to rent furniture and stage the house and it sold shortly thereafter. It’s usually the tipping point, especially if you are priced right. You want buyers to easily envision how their life would look if they lived in the house. Good Luck!
