Elements of Effective Home Staging

When it comes to making a good impression on prospective home buyers, small details can make a big difference! Not only do you want prospects to see your home as being clean, neat, and well organized, but it should also leave them with a good overall feeling.

Even though it can be a bit of a hassle to continually prepare your bathrooms for house showings, there's no bigger turnoff to prospective buyers than a grungy bathroom! Generally speaking, if people cringe at any aspect of your home (especially the bathrooms or kitchen), then they're probably not going to make an offer on your property.

In addition to making all fixtures and surfaces sparklingly clean, winning over potential buyers also involves making your home look inviting.

One thing many home sellers overlook is the condition of their bathroom towels and washcloths. If they're wet, bedraggled, or ragged looking, then that's going to send the wrong message to buyers. There are a variety of ways to overcome that, including putting out brand new, colorful towels that have never been used before (Just make sure to take off the store tags before putting them on display!).

If they're neatly folded and strategically placed, then they'll convey an impression of freshness, cleanliness, and neatness. Those are among the key qualities people want to see when they're considering buying your home. By making sure your house is well organized, uncluttered, and tastefully decorated, you're also giving the impression that you and your family take pride in the appearance and upkeep of your home. This is sure to score many Brownie points with potential buyers!

Besides ragged-looking towels, another subtle, but powerful turnoff for buyers is old-looking curtains. Although you may be so accustomed to your old curtains that you don't even notice or see them any more, there's a good chance they'll stand out like a sore thumb to other people! If the appearance of your curtains degrade the rest of the room, then that one aspect could literally be a deal killer. As the expression goes, "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link." People may not know exactly why they weren't favorably impressed with your home -- even though it met all their basic requirements --but it could be something as simple as grungy, faded, tattered-looking curtains, rugs, or towels. It's often an easy, relatively inexpensive fix, but you have to be aware of the problem before you can take corrective action.

Working with a real estate agent to help you present your home in its best light can make the process go much more smoothly and result in a faster sale. Experienced agents will also provide you with valuable advice, guidance, and marketing assistance that can favorably affect the actual selling price and the length of time your home remains on the market.