Trying to sell your house? You already know that cleaning up and removing clutter makes your home more welcoming, which makes house hunters more eager to buy. Now home staging experts reveal their lesser-known secrets for finding home buyers faster:
* Up your home’s value by turning on the radio. Turn it to a jazz station, but keep it low. “Hearing soft jazz in the background makes the home feel ‘alive’ and puts the subconscious suggestion in your home buyer’s mind that it’s worth more,” says home staging founder Barb Schwarz, author of Home Staging.
* Make buyers feel more welcome by showing them less! Take away family photos, trophies, your kid’s artwork and other personal mementos. “Seeing them around makes it harder for buyers to envision themselves living in your house,”explains real estate agent Jim Remley, author of Sell Your Home in Any Market.
* Show house hunters the fun they’ll have if they buy. Place a basket of spa products in your bathroom or borrow a friend’s picnic table and beach chairs and set them out in the backyard, Remley advises.
* Impress them by sprucing up your front door. Having a beautiful front entrance increases the perceived value of your home by as much as $24,000, making buyers feel like they’re getting a lot more for their money, according to a recent study. “The front door sets the tone for how potential buyers feel about what they’re about to see on the inside,” explains real estate broker Sid Davis, author of Home Makeovers That Sell. “When it’s welcoming and attractive, they tend to see the rest of your home the same way.” To spruce up your entryway, give your front door a fresh coat of paint, add an attractive light fixture, hang a wreath, get a new doormat or set out pots of flowers.
[photo: coffeego]
