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In today’s high-stakes market of real estate, homeowners need to pull out all the stops in preparing their homes for sale. Did you know that 86% of home buyers are looking on the internet to find their next home? Would you be surprised to learn that buyers prepare a shopping list of their favorite homes before ever contacting a real-estate professional? The internet images of your interior and exterior play an extremely important role in making a buyer’s “must see” list. That’s why preparing your home for the market involves more than just a little cleaning and tiding up.

Home staging is a marketing tool to help home sellers merchandise their properties. This is done to help buyers connect with—and envision their life in—your home. The way you live in your home and the way you package and present it to the buying public are two different things. You will need to take a different approach from living in your home if you want to sell your home. The very first step is to emotionally disconnect with your home and treat it as a product you want to sell.

The second step involves looking at your home through a buyer’s eyes. Start by asking yourself the following questions: What improvements need to be made for my home to be competitive in my market? How does my home look in comparison to other homes in my area and price range? What is it that buyers are really looking for in a home? A home-staging professional has the answers to these questions and can help you prepare your home it for its “close up.” Can you picture your home SOLD?

In today’s real estate market it’s not unusual for smart, savvy home sellers to look at all of their options when it comes to selling their homes. I’d like to share with you a fabulous story of how a smart and wise home seller found their way to look for a home stager despite opposing advice.

I received a call from a homeowner, asking about our services and if we could help her stage her property. She went on the say that they had a second home already bought and time was of the essence. She explained to me, that she had told her agent that she was going to have her home staged and did not want it on the market until the staging was complete. She told me that she was surprised at her agent’s response. The agent had told her that her home was in a terrific location and that the quaint town was very desirable and that she did not need to spend money on staging her home. She continue her story and told me that she thought about her agents advice for a few seconds and asked her agent about why her neighbor’s home is still sitting on the market after 5 months.

I staged her property on Jan. 14th, 2008 and received a call on Jan. 18th, 2008 from a very excited homeowner telling me they had just accepted a full price offer.  “Whoo Hoo” she said. She went on to tell me that she was extremely happy with herself in that she decided to follow her own personal research and listened to her own instinct. We too, are thrilled for her and her family and wish them many happy years in their new home.

A successful home sale can really be broken down to just a few of the right ingredients.  A good sales mix would be the price, location, condition, marketing and a balanced motivation of the buyer and seller.

There is no questioning that the location of a property and its setting can greatly influence its value. Sellers will need to convince buyers and appraisers that their home is worth what they are asking for it. When setting your price consider these factors. Your potential buyers will consider your home and compare it with other homes currently on the market within your homes price point. However an appraiser will be more objective and compare size, age and identifiable features in your home to properties that have already sold. So it makes good sense to price your home within the appropriate price range. So if your home is worth only $300,000 to $350,000 don’t insist on marketing it at $450,000.

Most home buyers, when given a choice, would choose a new home that is in top condition. This is why new construction homes have a marketing advantage over most resale homes. Their competitive edge comes from offering a house that is clean, bright, and showcases the most current in-trend features. Builders enhance the appeal of their homes by showcasing tastefully decorated rooms with modern color palettes. This is where the condition of a property is extremely important to the real estate sales mix.  Keeping this in mind, this is where the home seller of a resale home needs to understand that by addressing items that represent the homes condition is in keeping with the home buyer’s expectations and helps their home compete aggressively in the marketplace.

Home sellers who hire professional home stagers to assist them with the presentation part of the selling process will gain the advantage of the first phase in the marketing process. Home Stagers are a home seller’s point-of-sale marketer/merchandiser. They can enhance the overall impression left with your viewer.   Buyers need to know the particulars of a property for sale. They also need to know why this particular property is worth buying. They need to know what benefits there will be as a result of their purchase.  An effective marketing campaign can make a home stand out from the others in the marketplace.

The best deal in real estate is always a WIN/WIN for all parties involved.  Bringing together a motivated seller and a motivated buyer will result in typically a smooth real estate transaction.

If you’re having trouble selling your home you might want to ask yourself if you are missing any of the right ingredients.