Selling your property and getting the best return possible is all about appealing to prospective buyers. And a big part of that appeal comes from how you present your home; it’s about showcasing its potential and qualities in the best light possible, ensuring you make the right impression. 

This is where staging comes in. Professional staging will usually involve arranging furniture, decorations, and other design elements in a way that is designed to appeal to prospective buyers. Professional staging is an expense, albeit one that will often pay off in terms of increasing the sale value of your home. 

However depending on the budget, and your aims and expectations, it may be beneficial to either go the professional route, or to take a more hands on DIY approach. But no matter how you go about it, there are a wide range of benefits when it comes to staging your home for sale, which we’re going to take a look at now. 

Stand Out Online

When it comes to selling your property, it’s vital to understand the importance of how you present your property to an online audience. Many prospective buyers will rely on online viewings and browsing to decide which properties they’re most interested in. And as we have written about previously, some people are foregoing in-person viewings altogether.

This means staging and good pictures are doubly important because this will nearly always be where you make that all important first impression on prospective buyers. If your home doesn’t appeal to them in the photos they see in the listing, there’s a high chance they’ll never go on to the next step in the process, they will just move on to the next one. 

Showcase The Space - Get a Professional

No matter how well you think you have decorated the space, it isn’t something that will necessarily translate to appealing to prospective buyers. Often the decor will be a mixture of your practical needs and personal tastes, which won’t always, if ever, match with what the buyer wants. A professional stager can ensure that the space is maximized, giving an open and inviting feel that flows throughout the home, giving buyers a sense of the possibilities on offer. 

Professional staging will also help emphasize the potential of the space, while taking the prospective buyer's eyes away from any flaws or less desirable areas. This is especially true when it comes to smaller rooms or properties with unique layouts and spatial arrangements.

Buying a new home is for many a deeply personal and emotionally driven experience. And it’s on these terms that you want to appeal to potential buyers. Your aim is to help them envision being able to live their ideal way in your home, and this is something professional staging can accomplish. 

Advice For Moving Ahead With A Professional Staging

Professional staging can be tremendously beneficial, but the key to ensuring you’re getting a return on your investment is by going through the process the right way. 

With that in mind, here’s a short checklist for how to make the most of the professional staging process:

1. Do a deep clean first
   The last thing you want is for all your effort to be wasted by imperfections or uncleanliness, so make sure you ensure that your property is cleaned thoroughly before any staging takes place.
   
   
2. Focus on a select few key rooms
   Professional staging is all about getting value, so it makes sense to focus in on key rooms that will be of increased importance to prospective buyers. This allows you all the benefits of professional staging while keeping your costs down. 
   
   
3. Know Your Audience
   This is something that both your realtor and stager should be able to help advise you with, but it’s still useful for you to consider the types of people who will be interested in your property, and what design choices and aesthetics might appeal to them.

When Not To Opt For Professional Staging

As beneficial as staging can be, it isn’t always necessary, and in some cases, it may not be in the best interests of the seller. If you’re not expecting a quick sale, especially in poor market conditions, staging can become expensive and more inconvenient than it’s worth. 

Staging can also make living in your current property difficult, so keep that in mind when deciding how to proceed.

If you aren’t going down the staging route, there are still a number of small tweaks you can make that will make your home more appealing to prospective buyers:

• Decluttering
  A huge part of the role of staging is to help prospective buyers see the property as they will want it to be, and even something as simple as decluttering can go a long way towards achieving that. In particular, this will be useful for sellers who have pets, or children, and will be beneficial in high traffic areas such as the living room and kitchen. 

• Make cosmetic alterations
  Instead of a full staging, you can simply do some quick DIY to make your home a brighter and more appealing prospect for potential buyers. A new coat of paint, or changing out the furniture in important rooms can make a huge difference.

• Emphasize curb appeal
  The exterior of your home is often just as important when it comes to making first impressions, and is something you can take care of yourself. Whether it’s a quick cleaning of the garden and driveway, or a fresh coat of paint for the outer doors. 

When it comes to understanding how to appeal to prospective buyers—and ultimately, how to sell your home for the best offer possible, there’s no substitute for the experience and knowledge of a professional realtor. Here at Madsen Langlois, we offer both expertise and exemplary service, and to find out more and get your home on the market, get in touch with us today.