June 15, 2023
By Summer Rosenbalm - Owner, Chilton Staging + Design
The question that remains top of mind for sellers and agents is, "How do I get higher and faster offers on my listing?" The last thing you want is for your listing to sit on the market for months and months with no offers while other properties around you sell.
Read our Top 5 Tips below on selling your Houston property quicker and for more money.
Tip #1 - Create an Ideal Lifestyle for Your Buyers
It's critical that when potential buyers walk through the home, they can easily envision themselves living their dream lifestyle. This is where home staging provides the most value. We bring in beautiful furnishings and artwork that make buyers feel comfortable and right at home in the space. Even if the buyers wouldn't necessarily have designer pieces in their home, it's the feeling that they could that sells them.
You want the buyers to picture themselves eating delicious meals around the dining room table with their families. You want them to see themselves in the primary bedroom with cozy sheets and blankets as they snuggle with their spouse in a perfect marriage. Is this realistic in every day life? Not necessarily. But is it what buyers want to see? Yes!
So put away the cleaning products, toilet plungers, bills, and bathroom scales. There's no room for that in your perfect oasis.
Tip #2 - Depersonalize
One of the first things we typically recommend when walking through properties before they hit the market is to depersonalize. This means removing personal photos, achievements and awards, family schedules and invitations on the refrigerator, etc. The reason is because we want buyers to see themselves in the home, not you. Ouch, I know. It can sometimes be difficult to remove your beloved family photos and your college diploma, but I promise this will pay off in the end. You'll sell your property faster and will receive higher offers.
Tip #3 - Avoid Taste-Specific Décor
This one is tricky because sometimes sellers don't even realize how specific their taste is! But when selling a home, you have to neutralize the space to appeal to the most potential buyers. I guarantee that removing the bright colored wall paint is worth the expense. I can't tell you how many homes that I've seen hit the market with shabby-chic décor throughout the home or farmhouse signs that a lot of buyers couldn't relate to or see past. And those are the homes that either sit for months or receive under-value offers.
I'm certainly not saying that decorating your home a certain style is wrong. Even my home reflects my personal style and is comfortable for my lifestyle. Just remember that there's a difference in enjoying your home day-to-day versus staging/preparing your property for sale.
Tip #4 - Pre-Pack Many of Your Belongings
Many of my clients are shocked at how much I tell them to pre-pack. But the truth is, when it comes to staging a property for sale, most people have at least 50% too much stuff. I've never (seriously, never!) told an occupied staging client that they have too few things. I'm constantly saying that they should pre-pack sections of their closets, pantries, offices, bedrooms, etc. Think about it. If you were to walk through a property where the closets and pantries were too full, it would signal to you that there wasn't enough storage in the home. And that's the last thing you want to portray!
Plus, having some empty space on bookshelves and walls gives the eye and brain somewhere to rest. Believe it or not, in most of the rooms I stage, I typically only have one piece of artwork. Anything more than that can take away from the focal point and clutter the mind.
Tip #5 - Hire an Agent
Lastly, when selling your home, hire an agent. If you've ever thought, "Oh, I can do this on my own", ask yourself, "Have I ever done this on my own?" If you haven't, then trust that you'll need someone on your side to help you through the process. Ask me how I know.
Real Estate agents know the market, they have a network of people, and they have the expertise to help you get through the process as quickly as possible. Plus, they have negotiating experience that you may need. Their job is to help you receive higher real estate offers in Houston.