How home staging can help sell a house

“Staging a home is one of the last and most important parts of the selling process,” said Dane O’Leary, of Modernize.com.

Some sellers don’t understand the significance of staging, but O’Lane harped on how it could truly help make or break a deal. He has a few tips to offer for your sellers to spruce up their home.

First and foremost, O’Leary suggests that sellers should go to a  professional stager. A professional will be able to look at a home through the eyes of an outsider, and recommend any updates or changes that should be made.

It “can include things like a fresh coat of paint, new carpets, updating electrical wiring or even something as simple as a thorough cleaning. While some of these things might be obvious, professional stagers are trained to see things that aren’t obvious, things that the average person would likely miss, but things that would make a substantial difference. Hiring a professional stager will help create a final to-do list of last-minute home improvements in preparation for the upcoming sale,” said O’Leary.

O’Leary also emphasized the importance of highlighting the home’s best features, whether it be a gorgeous foyer or beautiful hardwood floors. “Living in a home for many years can make you oblivious to features that you’ve grown accustomed to seeing. A professional stager will point out a home’s selling points that could’ve gone unnoticed by potential buyers,” he said.

Once homeowners become comfortable in their houses, they tend to overlook things like clutter or the need for a fresh coat of paint. O’Leary recommends removing clutter, cleaning up and pruning the yard, making sure the kitchen and bathrooms sparkle and other chore-like tasks. “When potential buyers notice grime and clutter, it becomes difficult for them to see anything else,” he said.

“The most basic goal of home staging is to make a home appealing to as many potential buyers as possible,” he added. “Sometimes, your personal style might not be very appealing to the average person. It doesn’t indicate poor taste, but when the goal is to sell your home, sometimes personalized decor can be distracting and make it difficult to imagine a space decorated any other way. This can have a negative effect on the impression a home makes on a buyer, which is where home staging comes into play.”

With home staging, a home should be styled in a way that isn’t abrasive or specific, instead choosing subtle colors and decor that enhances a home.

“The goal is to make a space a buyer can imagine their life in,” concluded O’Leary.