Let's face the fact that people's first impression of your home is critical. . .
The harsh reality is that staging is your the best opportunity to make a positive first impression rather than a negative one.
Everyone knows the stronger the impression...the less likely a potential buyer will be bothered if some things aren't perfect.
What this all means is staging is the crucial step needed to help a buyer connect with a listing and visualize themselves living in the home.
Staging showcases the house in the best possible light.
After all, we never get a second chance to create a great first impression so it is imperative that the house is "dressed to impress."
Don't let the term "staging" intimidate you... staging can be simple and cost effective with low cost activities such as decluttering, packing up the things you don't need and want to move anyway, trimming the bushes and mowing the lawn, edge the sidewalk, paint the trim around the front door...
Stand in front of your home with an objective eye ...as if you are a potential buyer...what is the first thing you see?
Walk inside...are there old magazines lying around? Are the kitchen countertops cluttered with appliances you only use once in a while? What's up on top of your cabinets? Can it be removed and packed away? Are the stair railings and light switches in need of a little 409? When you walk in the house...what do you smell? Maybe a rug shampoo?
Your home... when it goes on the market for sale...is a product - just look at it from a potential buyer's point of view...if something about your home would make you want to buy it - play that up. If there is something that you feel that would turn someone off - play it down.
It's not as overwhelming as you may think!