The Edmonton real estate market has never been hotter. With so much inventory on the market how do you make your home stand-out from the rest?
Home staging is one of the tools Kerri-lyn and Jason Holland have come to rely on for making a great first impression with buyers.
“Home staging is extremely important in painting your home in the best possible light to prospective buyers, and it’s proven to sell a home faster and for a better price, says Kerri-lyn Holland with Holland and Associates. “It’s one of our proven strategies in selling a home. We want to ensure the home looks pristine and move-in-ready. We work with professional stagers and then get the home photographed, we take video, and we capture the home in all its staged glory so we can then market it in print ads, online ads, and social media. Staging is such an important step in selling a home, to make those initial first impressions whether online or in person through a showing.” Here is just one example of how the Holland’s stage a home for video and photography marketing online.
This home is listed at $1,250,000 - to learn more about this home visit the listing
Karma Allen, of Final Touch Home Staging has been a home stager for the past 10 years. She says staging your home is absolutely worth the investment. She says you’ll get that investment back with a higher sale price and with less time on the market.
“The truth is, only 1 in 10 people can actually visualize what a room would look like without it being staged. I’ve staged a home that sat on the market for 6 months without staging, and after we staged it, it sold in 1 day with 4 offers. Staging works. People need to be able to see what it looks like fully furnished but with clean and uncluttered lines.”
When staging your own home for sale, Karma Allen shares her top tips for sellers.
FRONT ENTRANCE:
“You only have 10 seconds to make an impression,” says Karma Allen. “Buyers seeing a home for the first time make their decision as they walk in the door. So staging the front entrance is key.”
- You need a nice well maintained, clean front door with a fresh welcome mat.
- Add something nice and decorative on a clean uncluttered console table.
- Look to add a mirror and a nice piece of art.
Beautifying your front entrance says welcome to your new home before the potential buyer has even made that final decision.
CLEANLINESS:
De-personalize your home for showings. Keep the buyer focused on the home, not the people who live there.
- De-personalize your spaces
- Get rid of bags, shoes, coats and personal items in view
- Declutter excess things
- Counter tops, tables, side-tables and dressers should be bare of personal items
- Stainless steel appliances need to be fingerprint free and spotless
- 1 decorative item per surface
- Bedrooms should have beds. Bedrooms are deceiving and look much smaller unfurnished.
You want the buyer to see themselves in that home, not see that someone else lives there.
LIVINGROOM:
Buyers should be able to easily walk around the home. Oversized furniture does not show a room well. Ensure there is sufficient furniture for the space but not overcrowded. Neutral colours are key. The goal is to not distract.
- Ensure there is a 3 foot pathway around furniture and furniture is not too large for the room.
- Paint can be the easiest way to freshen a living space and you will get the cost of painting back in a sale. Choose neutral colours.
- People want a home to be move-in ready – so patch divots in walls, dented corners and add a fresh coat of paint.
- No feature walls or loud wallpaper – these should be removed. It’s not everyone’s taste.
- Off-white is the perfect colour – anyone can move in with off white walls and their furniture will match.
- Add pops of colour with fresh flowers, throw cushions, throws and artwork.
TIPS FOR FAMILIES WITH SMALL CHILDREN:
Trying to keep a home spotless with small children around can definitively be a challenge.
“Organize their toys into bins and only allow them to take out 1 at a time,” says Karma. Kids actually like the organization and get comfortable with it, they don’t like chaos either. Once you get a system in place it gets easier, and who knows? It might even last after the sale of your home!”
Thanks so much to Karma Allen for sharing her wisdom with us. To contact Karma for staging your home, visit www.finaltouchhomestaging.ca
If you are looking to buy or sell a home contact Kerri-lyn and Jason Holland with Holland and Associates through our contact page.
Posted by Kerri-lyn Holland on
Leave A Comment