Eager to sell your home? Before you take the plunge, have you thought of staging your space yet?
Home staging is essential to selling a home as it utilizes emotional connections to secure a buyer. And if there's anything to say about making a purchase, it's that every transactional is emotional. We as humans are driven by emotions when we take any sort of action, and buying a home is no exception. Beyond an aesthetically pleasing space, there's a psychology behind interior styling that encourages people to take the plunge and spend the money.
We all want the best case scenario, and our houses fall well within what we want to be in tip-top shape at all times. So when we make any purchase - especially a big one like real estate - it's fair to assume that we'll want to see its full potential before signing off our entire life's savings. As a homeowner looking to sell, your task is to showcase said potential so you make the most out of your transaction. You can do this by styling your home and playing to your buyers' purchasing behaviors.
Home staging has the power to transform what buyers think of your property, and can ultimately make you a lot of money if you play your cards right. Here are some benefits to dedicating resources to home staging in captivating the interests and emotions of your next buyer:
First impressions matter.
No one has a second chance to make a first impression; this rings true for houses as well. It takes less than a minute for prospect buyers to decide if they're even interested in putting in an offer for a home they're looking at.
That said, it's crucial that entryways are designed in a way that they create an impact, and that the design flows well into the rest of the home (or at least, what is visible from the first few steps inside.) This means that the furniture must be set up a certain way that they open up the space and properly light up the key areas. This also means that color and materials harmony is achieved in the initial pieces that greet the buyer when they enter the home.
Think about functionality and flow.
The buyers' great first impressions of a space should be reinforced by amazing flow and a series of uber-functional areas. In terms of home staging, furniture and certain large-scale pieces command the flow of each space, and must be arranged to exude openness and spaciousness. Chairs should be facing each other to connote easy conversation, and traditional storage solutions must be resigned to the walls so they're flushed out of the buyers' walking path. Light fixtures must be utilized to bring warmth and brightness to dimmer corners of a home, and create a sense of openness when paired with generous sources of natural light.
A home's not just a space; it's a reflection of one's lifestyle.
When designing and styling a space, it's important to consider not only the function of every room but also what lifestyles and aspirations these individual spaces convey for the buyers. More often than not, a home serves as a status symbol for those who inhabit it. Meaning, when you sell a home you're not only selling the structure and/or the things that come with it, but also the quality of life your buyer desires to have in their forever shelter.
Is your buyer the type to dream of a life with kids and dogs running around? If so, invest in vinyl flooring. Is your buyer an individual looking to carve out a special space for their alcohol stash for late-night house parties? If so, make sure you stage your kitchen to have a mini bar. Is your buyer a soon-to-be-retiree who'd prefer to spend most of their days tending to their plants at the backyard? Plant a few colorful, hypoallergenic flora to bring life to your garden. It's important to strive for a space that supports the buyer's ideas of a desired lifestyle.
Build the emotional connection.
More than the physical aspects and sheer form of the home, emotions really bring a buyer closer to purchase. As a seller, you can utilize certain elements like colors and intricate details to elicit the emotions you want your buyer to feel when walking through your space. Colors in particular have an amazing way of affecting one's moods so choosing the right color schemes is crucial to home staging.
For details, make the most out of seemingly small yet effective ways to further sell the property. Think of the most appealing scents like lavender in the bedroom or citrus in the kitchen, or best-seller book titles and magazine covers neatly placed atop a coffee table or shelf.
It's important to make space for imagination.
A properly staged home must feel warm and inviting, yet open to reinvention and personalization. There's a delicate balance between well-lived and homey, and overly-specific and exclusive. A good trick is to stick to neutral palettes, natural materials, and era-less design styles but sprinkling in a few personal touches (usually through accessories!) like a filled-out magazine rack, trinkets from recent travels, or a stainless dog bowl to help buyers visualize themselves in your home while giving them an interesting idea or two on how to play it up once they make the move.
Well-staged means increased perceived value.
Simply put, the right staging and styling bring in the big bucks. Before even thinking about how to stage your home, think about the demographics of the community likely to buy a home like yours. What are their jobs and their corresponding budgets? What hobbies are their kids likely to enjoy? Are they the type to host large dinner parties or prefer intimate gatherings? Answering these questions will help you choose the right furniture, place the right decor, and make the right adjustments to optimize your selling price and finding the right buyer.
There's definitely fact to the hearsay that staged properties are perceived to be worth more than blank spaces. Make sure you know just how to fill up every nook and cranny of your beloved home.
Ready to sell your home to a buyer that will love it as much as you enjoyed styling it? Click here to start your journey with Property Access Philippines!