If you’re selling a home or any other property for the first time, you probably have two things in mind right now:
- Getting a great price on the home
- Getting it off the market as soon as possible
After all, it’s only right that you get a fair price on the house and unload it as quickly as possible. And more often than not, the trick to getting the price you want on the house and find prospective buyers right away is to have a fantastic staging strategy.
Home staging, or the process of decorating the house to show its strengths and appeal, can make a huge difference towards making buyers agree to your buying price and making a purchase decision right away. Below are a few staging tricks used by the pros you can try right now.
Work on Curb Appeal
Your home’s exterior is obviously the first things potential buyers will see when they pull up to the house. So, it’s not surprising that curb appeal, or how the house looks from the street, can be a major factor in your selling price.
In fact, a 2012 study on landscape and house appearance found that curb appeal can boost a home’s value by up to 17 percent. Of course, improving your curb appeal will set you back some. If this is a concern, you can always choose inexpensive options, like smaller applications of weed control and fertilizer, which can be enough to yield a significant return on investment.
Shed Light on Living Spaces
Between a home that looks bright and airy and one that’s dark and dreary, which one would you rather live in?
Naturally, no buyer wants to spend time in a dark home. While having more windows is usually what buyers look for, breaking open walls can also be expensive. Fortunately, there are many relatively affordable tricks you can use to literally bring in more light into your home.
- Install mirrors in the room to reflect light. A mirror over the fireplace, in the master’s bedroom, or behind the dining table not only reflects light, it helps create the illusion of space.
- Likewise, objects with reflective surfaces like vases, lamp fixtures, and photo frames, can help reflect light around the room.
- Replace heavy drapes with light curtains to let more natural light in.
Bring Attention to Energy-Efficient Upgrades
During an open house, be sure your real estate agent highlights any energy-efficient upgrades you made to the house, whether it’s:
- A newly insulated attic
- Smart thermostats (e.g. Nest)
- Weather-stripped doors and windows
- LED lighting
With the average American household spending over $1,000 a year on energy bills, making your home more energy-efficient is a great way to make it more marketable. Home buyers, after all, will take advantage of any opportunity to keep more cash in their pockets.
If you have a home you want to sell but don’t have time to renovate, you can sell it as is to an investor like Blue Hen Homebuyers! We buy all kinds of houses, regardless of their age or condition. Call our offices today at 910-802-2222 to learn more about how our services can help you.