When it comes to selling a home, first impressions are everything. Potential buyers want to envision themselves living in the space. If a property is cluttered, outdated, or lacking in appeal, it can be difficult for them to see its true potential. This is where staging and staging consults come in.
Staging consults are consultations with a professional home stager who can provide advice to showcase a property to attract buyers and secure a quick sale for top dollar. These consultations can have a significant impact on a real estate listing in several ways.
One of the biggest benefits of a staging consult is that it can help a seller identify areas of their home that need improvement to appeal to buyers. Staging consults can help sellers make cost-effective updates that will increase the value of their property. By investing a small amount of money in updates such as fresh paint, modern fixtures, or new accessories, sellers can make their homes more appealing to buyers and potentially increase their return on investment.
Don’t just take our word for it. Check out a recent staging consultation that our Lead Stager, Kristin Stilwater, did on Broadcrest Court. This home went pending within two days of being on the market for $15,000 more than the listing price.
Kristin highlights the priorities within each room that in her professional opinion, will improve the property the most to appeal to buyers. In the Broadcrest staging consult, she highlights curb appeal as priority number one. Kristin comments in her report, “This first impression is all-important because it sets the tone for the way the buyer will view the rest of the house.” A few pointers she gives the sellers were to dead-head flowers or replace them with fresh seasonal flowers, pressure wash the driveway and front walkway, remove cars from the driveway during open houses and showings, remove all debris from the driveway, including trash cans, and add a new welcome mat.
Here is a before image of the front yard from the Broadcrest home:
Take a look at how the sellers transformed the front yard with Kristin’s suggestions with the link below.
Inside the house, Kristin advises the sellers to remove word art, religious items, and personal photos. Removing these personal items helps the prospective buyers imagine the space as their own. Kristin also advises specific decor pieces to be pared down, replaced, or added to a space. One example in the Broadcrest home was to replace this blue rug with a simple natural rug to avoid taking focus from the beauty of the home.
Check out how much switching out the rug changed the appearance of this front door with the link below.
Our professional stager will also recommend how to arrange the furniture to maximize and highlight the qualities of the space.
In the sitting room, Kristin advised to remove the red barrel chair and to pare down and rearrange the decor on the mantel.
Use the link below to check out how this room transformed after the seller's followed Kristin’s advice!
Another example of how relocating furniture can change a space is with this space used as a secondary bedroom, but our lead stager found it would be best suited displayed as an office.
See how the room's architecture is better highlighted when it is transformed into an office space.
Moving into the kitchen, Kristin states in her report, “ Kitchens sell homes and many agents will tell you, makeup over 30% of the buyer's decision.” She goes on to say it is important to make the kitchen feel clean, modern, and light. To achieve this, she recommends that sellers hide garbage cans and cleaning materials, and remove any clutter from the countertops. We like to add areas called, connection points, where the buyers can envision themselves living life in this home. One we commonly set up in kitchens is a coffee station. Coffee stations give the buyers the image of waking up in the morning and making their morning coffee in this home.
Here is a before picture of the kitchen at the Broadcrest home.
Check out how bright and beautiful the sellers made it after Kristin’s consult! https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2058-Broadcrest-Ct-Wenatchee-WA-98801/85979133_zpid/?mmlb=g,9
As Kristin goes throughout the home, she recommends where to put decor in sparse areas, the correct rug and art sizes for each room, and advises replacing bedding and towels with fluffy whites to create a spa-like feel. Check out the amazing transformation of the primary bedroom after the YellowGate Designs staging consult.
Before:
After:
As you can see, staging consults can have a significant impact on a real estate listing by helping sellers showcase their property in the best possible light, attract more buyers, and secure a quick and profitable sale. By investing in a staging consult, sellers can increase their chances of selling their homes quickly and for top dollar. If you are ready for your listing to stand out from the rest, call us today to schedule a staging consult!
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