Make The Most Money With Staging To Sell Your Home

Today we’re gonna talk about getting your home ready to sell and specifically staging your home so that when it sells, it does so for the highest possible price. My name is Ryan Ward, I’m the broker and owner of Premier Atlanta Real Estate and I’m going to be joined by my wife, co-owner and design and staging specialist, Lisa Ward to discuss the most important items we recommend every homeowner get right before listing their home for sale.

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Edited Transcript:

Here at Premier Atlanta Real Estate, we think staging is so important, we offer a complimentary staging consultation for all of our seller clients. An objective and trained stager will be able to improve the presentation of a home, and help to sell the home for more money and in less time than a home that’s not staged properly. A recent study from the National Association of Realtors found that 83% of buyer’s agents interviewed said that a staged home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as their future home and according to buyers surveyed, the 3 most important rooms that needed to be staged are the living room, master bedroom, and kitchen.

Along with staging, we typically find there are a few additional basics that need to be addressed including; decluttering, professionally cleaning the inside of the house, sprucing up the curb appeal, and addressing any deferred maintenance items. We can generally help with getting professionals to get these items completed for our clients if need be. In addition, we offer our Premier Design and Remodel Service for those that want to take it to the next level and transform their property to ensure it sells for top dollar. I’ll post a link to that video series for you as well.

Q. Ok Lisa, I have a few questions for you and the first is…what is home staging to you - and how is it different than decorating a home?

A. When we are designing a home for a homeowner, we are specifically choosing colors, and design for the homeowner and their tastes only. But when we are staging a home for sale, we must take an opposite approach and open up the design to appeal to the largest group of people, which usually means, a less specific design and a more neutral palette.

Q. When you meet with a client for a consultation, what’s the first thing you do and say? What does the process look like from your perspective?

A. When I meet with a client I make sure that they know that everything I advise them is completely optional, however, the more of the things on the list they do, the higher the probability of them selling the home quickly for the most amount of money. I am there to help them obtain their goals!

Q. How much money does a seller have to spend to get their home ready for sale?

A. Obviously that depends on the condition of the home, however, sometimes, it's literally all just lots of labor! Decluttering and getting a jump on packing up is key to staging your home for sale, and that doesn’t cost a thing! However, sometimes a home needs a deep cleaning or carpets cleaned or some fresh paint, so it is anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. But anytime we invest in the appearance and modernization of the home, it usually is an investment and helps get the home sold easier!

Q. Can’t a seller just declutter to get the home looking good for buyers?

A. Yes, as I said, a home that has been maintained well and is already somewhat updated can certainly just be decluttered, some furniture rearranged or removed and some nicely staged décor items added and be perfectly ready for pictures and showings!

Q. What if a home is vacant? What do you do or recommend?

A. For a vacant home, I am not usually an advocate for bringing in furniture, which can quickly get very expensive and start cutting into your profits. However, it's key that a vacant home is very clean because there is no hiding anything with rugs or furniture. I usually bring in some nice décor items to brighten up the bathrooms and the kitchen on a vacant home, maybe a pop of color. We can also do some virtual staging, where we digitally add furniture, and rugs, and décor to a picture of an empty room to help buyers be able to picture the potential of a room.

Q. What are the 2 most important rooms to get right in your opinion?

A. The heart of the home is the kitchen. It’s key that there is no clutter in the kitchen, we want clean surfaces to show off the counter space. Hide the trash cans and all the extra appliances. The master bathroom is also an important room, make sure all personal items on not on display while other people are touring your home, this includes your soaps and shampoos and daily used items that you may normally just leave in there, make sure to remove all of that stuff. And of course, the main living area, which makes the first impression!

Q. What can a homeowner do before you arrive to prepare for a staging appointment?

A. When I arrive, I am going to ask you to give me a tour of the home, then I like to be able to walk around the house alone freely and take my time to make notes of what I may advise you to do. The best way to prepare is to simply open your mind, and know that your home is beautiful, I am just trying to help you make it appeal to the most amount of people we can to get those people into your home so you can get it sold quickly!

Q. 2 things I notice many sellers overlook in the presentation of their home is the lighting, or, color of the lighting, and the curb appeal from the street to the front door. How important are these items and what are some easy fixes homeowners can do to get this right?

A. Great point! There are so many different light bulbs out there today, different hues of color, blue light, white light, yellow light, soft light….I usually advise making sure all bulbs are replaced and working and make sure they are all the same color and temperature! Two or three different hues in one room can make walls and cabinets appear to be different color tones and an array of lighting colors can ruin the appeal of a room. And curb appeal is a definite must, the first impression is from the curb, so freshen up your pine straw, or mulch, mow the lawn, pressure wash the house. Make sure your home is gleaming when that buyer steps out of their car.

Q. Why do you think staging a home actually works?

A. Staging a home is imperative to get the home ready, removing “you” from the home and helping to make buyers comfortable and to be able to picture themselves in the home is key to helping them make the decision to purchase your home!

Q. Do you have any final thoughts or advice for a homeowner getting ready to put their home on the market?

A. Remember, you are selling the home, not you and your family and your furniture, so we have to focus our marketing on the home itself! This is how staging the home helps accomplish that! This is great advice.

Thank you Lisa for sharing your expertise with everyone today and thanks to all of you for watching. As with all of my videos, if you enjoyed this video please make sure you hit the like button and subscribe to my channel for more real estate content like this and if you’re local and are thinking about selling your home, drop a comment below or give us a call. Thanks for watching!