The Lawhead Team would like to share the latest One Cool Thing about selling your home and why a staged home is likely to sell faster than one that is not staged.

Home staging is key to attracting shoppers, and maybe even more so in an era where consumers are used to watching TV home-makeover shows.

Here are some important statistics about staged homes for sale:

• 83% of buyers’ agents say staging a home makes it easier for buyers to visualize a property as their future home.
• 44% of buyers’ agents say staging a home increases its value.
• More than half of sellers’ agents say staging a home decreases the amount of time it spends on the market.
• 25% say a staged home can increase the home’s value by 1 to 5 percent.
• 12% say it increases the value by 6 to 10%.

What are the most important rooms to stage?

1. Living room
2. Master bedroom
3. Kitchen

If you’re in the market to sell your home, call The Lawhead Team and learn about how to stage it to sell!

Source: 2019 Profile of Home Staging report, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS.

Here are a few things you may want to keep in mind as what NOT to do when putting your home on the market and selling it:

• “Make sure your home is painted in bright colors that stand out or drab white walls.” Don’t do this! Paint the interior of your home neutral colors in the brown and beige family.
• “Decorate my home with all my cute unicorn nick-knacks.” Make sure your entire home is tidy and organized and free of décor that portrays your personality. Remember, keep the word “neutral” in mind when selling. Any family pictures and various dust collectors on your shelves should be boxed up and kept in the garage. Remember, you are going to have to pack this stuff up anyway!
• “Potential buyers can see past the clutter”. If you are selling your home and your rooms are filled with too much stuff, box it up. Minimal décor and “stuff” in general will show your home the best. Plus, it makes your home look bigger the less you have in it.
• “The walls don’t need any TLC.” Once your start moving your furniture around and taking those personal family pictures off the walls, you will start to notice holes, cracks and chipped paint. Take a moment to patch any holes and use the paint to touch up any scuffs before selling your home.
• “Buyers won’t notice the dust.” Remember, you want potential buyers to look around and think about what great shape you have kept the home in. This means do a deep clean of all your appliances, get rid of the dust on your ceiling fans and scrub the stove.
• “No need to tidy up the closet, I’ll just close the door.” Potential buyers will be nosy. They’ll open closets, cupboards and drawers. Tidy them up when selling your home! It is also a great idea to take half of the items in your closet out. This makes your closets and cupboards look bigger than they actually are.
• “I don’t need to spend any money on planting flowers or plants outside; the new owners can do that.” The first impression a potential buyer gets from your home will be the curb appeal. Pull weeds, green up the grass and plant new flowers.

There are many tips The Lawhead Team has shared about what to do when staging your home to sell…but what about what NOT to do?

It is important not to get overwhelmed by the details when staging your home to sell. The following are some helpful tips from Home & Garden Television on what not to do when staging your home to sell:

• Less is usually more in home staging. Keep decor simple, and definitely dismantle theme rooms.
• Don’t over personalize your decor. If you know your house is going on the market in the next few years, be mindful of design choices when you remodel, or you could decrease your pool of buyers. Don’t choose a counter top with grape details, for example.
• If your house is going on the market, seriously consider every surface in your home, especially walls and floors. Think neutral. When potential buyers view your home, you don’t want them considering how much time and money it will take to paint over a blindingly yellow room or to replace red shag carpet.
• Need inexpensive ways to prepare your home for the market? Clean, clean, clean. Scrub everything. Rent a carpet shampooer if necessary. The small investment and resulting sweet smell is worth every penny! While you’re at it, declutter! Get started packing and fill boxes with knickknacks and more.
• If you do nothing else to prepare your house for the market, tend to your yard. Rake the leaves. Clean up flower gardens. Trim shrubs. Sweep your sidewalks and porches. You don’t want to lose any showings because drive-by shoppers can’t get past the mess at the curb. Read our article about adding curb appeal to your home.
• Even if you have overlooked needed home repairs for years, potential buyers will see every one of them. Fix that cracked window pane. Replace the broken doorknob. Paint the fence and re-stain a dull looking door. A little sweat equity goes a long way in real estate.
• Don’t misuse spaces: Bedrooms should be bedrooms, not closets or catchall rooms. Patios should be staged as relaxing outdoor spaces, not left empty or as toy storage.