A job loss, company relocation or unfavorable mortgage refinance can put you in a position that no homeowner wants to be – that is a have-to-sell position.
Face it, there are things you can’t control, like the fact you have to sell. But there are things you can do to shorten the time on the market and increase the price you get for your home -- it's proper staging. One old realtor trick is to heat the oven and toss in some cinammon to fill your home with smell of fresh baked cookies. Now that won't necessarily sell your home, but these tips might.
Some of the best tips from walletpop.com, include buyer draws like "edit the furnishings" -- the less clutter and fewer pieces of furniture in your home, the more spacious it appears. This is not the time to show off your grandmother’s antique china hutch. If it’s still too small try "hanging mirrors" to give the appearance of space. Walletpop has seven other staging tips including the no-brainer variety like -- clean.
How much does staging cost? You can certainly do your own staging for the cost of your time, cleaning supplies and paint. If you want a professional stager, that could run anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to $5,000 or more if they need to bring in and rent furniture.
And remember staging can only do so much. If no one is coming to see your home, that’s likely a function of the price. But if you’re getting lots of visitors and no offers, that’s where staging can pay dividends. A Coldwell Banker Brokerage in California studied 2,800 properties in eight US cities and found that staged homes sold in about half the time of unstaged homes and for a higher price, according to USAToday.com, which also has displays of some telling before and after staging scenarios.
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