PROPERTY NEWS - Although it is not new to the real estate market, home staging has become an increasingly popular trend among homeowners who are selling their properties and want to create optimum buyer appeal.
According to Adrian Goslett, regional director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa, preparing the home for sale can have a positive impact on prospective buyers' opinion of the property, and home staging is just one of the ways that sellers can use.
Create appeal
"Every person who is selling their home wants it sold for the best possible price, within the shortest time frame. To achieve this, the home needs to be appealing to the highest possible number of potential buyers. Home staging is used by estate agents as one of their marketing tools to highlight a home's best features. It is preparing the home for sale by using techniques that focus on improving the property's appeal and transforming it into an attractive and welcoming space," says Goslett.
He adds that a prime example of staging is a retail shop window using mannequins to display items in such a manner that it allows onlookers to picture themselves wearing the clothes or using the product displayed. Home staging is similar in that it aims to showcase the home's best qualities and entice the potential buyer to see themselves living in that home - it creates aspirations.
It is possible to hire professional home staging specialists; however, this will obviously come at a cost. "Professional staging can include the rental of furniture or artwork, buying paint or wallpaper, as well as products that may be required to fix up problems such as cracks in the wall or sanding wooden floors."
He says that you can avoid the cost of a professional stager by going it alone and making simple changes to your home that could create a big impact.
"We live in an age of information with vast amounts of content available to homeowners. There are a number of websites, television shows and other mediums you can use to source information that will assist you when getting your home ready for show day," says Goslett. "As a first step, the home should be clean, inviting and exciting for potential buyers to view. The objective is for buyers to not only want the home, but to want it more than any other homes for sale in the neighbourhood."
Spaciousness
Where possible, when staging your home, get rid of clutter and pack away any unnecessary items. "The objective is for the buyer to be focused on the property, and not the items inside it. If a space in the home is full of items, try and remove some furniture to open the space up a little. While not always possible, ideally it is good to reduce the number of items in the house by around half. This will mean that you will need to be ruthless in the selection process. Hiring a storage unit while the home is on the market will assist in storing pieces that you want to keep, but don't want in the house," he says.
If there are fewer items in the home, it will appear larger and will be easier to keep clean. "With fewer items in the house to move around, it will be easier to have the carpets professionally cleaned, which will make a big difference and will leave the home smelling great. Taking the curtains down and washing them will also add to the pleasant aroma of the home. Fresh or new bedding will go a long way in sprucing up the bedrooms to ensure they look their best on show day," adds Goslett.
Smell and light
He says that a home's smell can also have a massive impact on how buyers perceive it. If the home smells good, it will conjure up positive emotions in buyers, while unpleasant odours often drive buyers away. There is nothing quite like the smell of freshly brewed coffee or freshly baked bread on a show day.
Once the property has been de-cluttered, cleaned and smells good, the seller can start looking at possibly painting the walls, and rearranging the furniture. It's best for each room to be as open and bright as possible. The curtains or blinds should be open, letting in as much light as possible and the lights should be turned on.
"Small changes can make a big impact in how the property is seen by buyers. It is the unexpected little touches that will leave an impression on buyers viewing the home. Some fresh flowers on display, a welcome mat or fresh fruit in a bowl in the kitchen - all these little things combined will add to the appeal of the home and impress potential buyers," Goslett concludes.
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