Huntsville Real Estate Blog

Does your Huntsville home have a façade only a homeowner could love? Selling a home can be an emotional experience, and people can lack objectivity when it comes to their own abode. Presenting a home in its best light is always important, but it’s imperative in our current competitive real estate market.

Professional advice and assistance can make the difference between “Wow!” and “Whaaa?” – a recent industry study found that staged homes sold for 6.9 percent more than homes that were not staged. Another study compared listing times before and after staging. Homes that had first been offered for sale without staging were on the market an average of 4.5 months; the same homes sold within a week, on average, after being staged.

Below are 7 tips to ‘setting the stage’ and making your home more appealing to buyers:

1. Thoroughly clean from top to bottom, especially kitchens and baths.

A dirty house an immediate buyer turn-off. The two most important areas are the kitchen and the bathrooms. If you have not deep cleaned all counter and tile surfaces to a spotless condition, you stand the chance of having the buyers walk right back out the door.

2. De-clutter the entire house.

Clutter makes it extremely hard for the buyers to visualize moving into your home. The disorganization affects the buyer’s ability to focus on your home and they will most likely overlook your key selling features. In addition, clutter has the affect of making your home appear smaller than it is as the “open” feeling is gone.

3. Remove the personal memorabilia.

People are generally curious and when you want them to notice the beautiful entryway they may be focused on all the family pictures on the piano or all the “stuff” stuck to the front of your refrigerator. Your objective is to change the view of your home from “lived in” to “ready to move in.”

4. Neutralize inside and out.

best way to present a home is for the wall colors to be painted a neutral color. This goes for the outside as well – a loud or non-neutral color may just keep the buyers from even stopping to see the inside.

5. Let the sun shine in with spotless windows.

Nothing is more distracting to a buyer than to be looking at a view through a dirty window. What you don’t see is often more important that what you do see.

6. Make your pets go away.

While your pets are a loving member of your family, for the buyers their presence, food and boxes are generally a turn-off. Every trace of their presence should be removed so, once again, the buyers are not distracted from the prime objective – viewing your home in the best possible light.

7. Add curb appeal.

A healthy, neat, trimmed and well maintained yard and flower beds are the keys to getting the buyers up to the front door. A well-maintained exterior translates to a well maintained home in the mind of the buyer.

Need help setting the stage and showing off your Huntsville home in its best light? Give us a call, we are glad to help.

Get the current market value of your Huntsville home.

“Staging”  Huntsville AL real estate for sale has become a hot trend in the industry.  Unlike some trends that are more trouble than they’re worth, however, this is one trend that can really pay off!  Here are 12 reasons why you should consider staging your home on the market:

1. Turbo Boost Sales Time
Experts all agree and studies show staged homes sell quicker – sometimes up to 50% faster - than non-staged homes.  Not only are you having to pay for your mortgage while your home stays on the market, but the longer the home is on the market, the greater chance there is for a price reduction.  Typically, when a home has been on the market for some time, buyers and agents will assume there must be something wrong with it or that the seller will be anxious to sell and will take much less than the asking price.

2. First Impressions Are The Most Important
People’s first impression of your listing is critical.  Staging gives you the best opportunity to make a positive first impression rather than a negative one.  The stronger the impression, the less likely a potential buyer will be bothered if some things aren’t perfect.

3. Gone In 60 Seconds…
Psychology experts have proven that people react based on emotion and then seek logic to back up the feeling.  From a real estate perspective, a buyer will make an initial reaction in less than a minute whether they like your listing or not.  Then, after the potential buyer’s initial decision has been made, they will either confirm that decision or rescind it in the next 6 to 20 minutes as they tour the property.  This is why proper staging is critical for any listing.    

4. Ready, Set, Go – Move-In Ready Sells Faster
A properly staged listing not only appears to be in “Move-In Ready” condition, but it really is.  Staging a house for sale means that every component of the house is as close as possible to model condition.  All buyers prefer to buy a home where they can just move-in and start enjoying life.  Most will even pay a premium for this.

5. Imagination Not Included
Did you know that only 5% of the population can truly visualize how beautiful a home can be or see past the clutter, grime and so-so appearance?  It’s true.  Help potential buyers see themselves happily living in your listing and let the offers come pouring in. 

6. Be the Needle In The Haystack
Staged homes have a much greater competitive advantage over houses that are not staged.  Experts are predicting that more and more listings will be sitting on the market for sale in the next few years.  Some areas have already seen a 100-300% increase in available inventory and average time on market.  A staged home stands apart from other listings because it has been properly merchandised to bring out the best qualities of the listing.

7. No Skeletons In The Closet
Staged homes project an image of being well maintained and well cared for.  The underlying psychological message that is sent to potential buyers is that it’s worth more.  More importantly, staging helps remove a certain degree of risk that a potential buyer might have about buying a house that is in disarray.

8. Appraise It High Or Go Home
As more and more homes become available, you need every advantage possible.  One marketing advantage you might overlook is to create instant loan to value (LTV) by getting an appraisal after the house is staged.  If you can show a potential buyer how much the home is worth i.e. appraised value and the sales price is less….instant value.  It will sell faster because it appears to be a better deal. 

9. Move To The Head Of The Class
Real estate professionals never like to show a house that’s not going to impress their buyer.  A well-staged home could easily be described as “staged to sell” which means that it’s going to impress their buyer. Staged homes are always at the top of the list when it comes to which properties an agent will show.

10. The Exception To The Rule – The Buyer’s Rule
Would you show a house to a buyer that didn’t meet their exact criteria?  Maybe…but ONLY if the house is staged properly and gets clients excited.  If an agent knows that a listing shows really well, but doesn’t match the buyer’s criteria exactly, it’s possible they’ll show it anyway.  A well-staged home could be the one to get a buyer excited enough to make an offer. 

11. Peace, Love and FREE Advertising
Brokerages love showcasing beautifully staged homes because they draw more business to their firm.  They usually invest considerable money to advertise a well staged listing to generate leads for other agents.  Why not capitalize on your firm’s need to generate fresh leads by learning how to stage every listing to its fullest potential and then sit back while they use it for shameless promotion.

12. Show Me The Money!
The better a home shows, the higher it will sell for - which means more dollars in your pocket. Non-staged homes are more likely to require price reductions in order to sell as opposed to staged homes, which are more likely to enjoy a number of offers, or even a bidding war or a sale above the asking price.

To learn more about making your Huntsville AL real estate stand out, please call me at 256-508-0211 or visit MoveToHuntsville.com.  You may also request a complimentary market valuation of your home!