Property staging can be the one critical detail that really allows a prospective buyer to consider the home in a more favorable manner. The real estate market in many areas can be completely unpredictable, meaning that quick sales are extremely important. The longer a property stays listed, the interest of local residents decline. The best chances for exposure generally fall within the first few weeks of being listed so don’t let property staging turn into a “to-do” that never gets done.

Remove Clutter

Begin by doing a room-by-room assessment with your realtor about what can be left out of the picture. After living in a home for several years, it can be difficult to notice small collectibles or worn furniture that may stick out like a sore thumb to others. Personal items like family photographs should be removed along with anything else that distracts from the overall potential of the room. Undertake on a massive campaign to dust every surface, remove and clean every light cover, wipe fingerprints off smooth surfaces (especially light switch plates!), and scrub every floor and tile. Absolutely everything should be squeaky clean – no exceptions!

Basics of Staging!

Once the home has been depersonalized it’s time to add just a touch of character to highlight important features. Shelves and storage that may have otherwise gone unnoticed may be adorned with simple trinkets in groups of 1, 3, or 5. The kitchen should contain bowls of polished fruit, an open cookbook, and if it’s large enough – a small table with some simple chairs. It’s important to scatter living plants (make sure they’re hypoallergenic!) around the house, in almost every room, in order to breathe a bit of life into the home. Bedrooms should be equipped with inflatable queen-sized beds to showcase size, and should be made up with neutral soft fabrics. Remember that bathrooms need to make an impression in only a few seconds with modest buyers, so give them the most dazzling attention.

Set the Mood

The best property staging professionals are artists in every right. They will employ techniques to stimulate every sense. Bowls of berries or incense are not only attractive but also stimulate the olfactory senses. Some stagers go as far as to actually bake an apple pie in the oven to give the entire home a warm, welcoming aroma. All windows should have simple treatments, but should be open to invite as much sunlight into the home as possible. Mirrors can be used to take advantage of sunlight and make cramped rooms appear larger.

Curb Appeal

Don’t forget that most people interested in your home are going to be seeing the yard and door area before anything else. Make this first impression count. Use potted plants and trees to add color and charm for a low-maintenance solution to landscaping. Make sure that the driveway has no grease stains, and that the sidewalks are always bright and fresh.

With these tips your adventure in property staging should yield fabulous results including a quick property sale!

Real estate markets tend to be pretty unpredictable, so it’s important to shoot for quick property sales while the conditions are still favorable. For this purpose it can be crucial to hire a professional has access to resources that the independent seller does not: the listing agent. Not every real estate agent will work full time to sell your home so it’s important to ask some questions. The right realtor will be able to market your home without pulling any of the stops, leading to a quick and satisfactory sale.

Multiple Listing Service

One of the very first steps that your listing agent should take is to create an entry in the Multiple Listing Service. The MLS is the largest database of for-sale properties online, and contains upwards of 90% of all homes currently on the market.

Important information will be listed, like the number of rooms, type of roof, and price per square foot. Smaller key features are also outlined along with a couple of pictures of the interior and exterior of your home. Many agents will be able to provide or recommend a professional photographer to create a more attractive listing for quick property sales. Not only do potential buyers use this resource, but other agents will also be able to match your home with their extensive network of home seekers.

Office Preview

The office preview is truly a bizarre spectacle to behold if your listing agent belongs to a large office. This can definitely work to your advantage! Once a week, all of the real estate agents in the office will all tour the new homes on the market together in a “caravan” style, making notes about how to best approach the sale. This is a generally quick process – the agents will mostly be looking for unique or desirable details since they are most likely already familiar with homes built in a similar style. Some of these agents will return to your home with potential buyers if the fit is right.

Broker Preview

It may seem like it’s been a busy first week: registering for the listing service and hosting an office preview. But that’s not all that the listing agent should have in store for quick property sales.

Broker preview is pretty similar to an office preview, but this time the home will be shown to any agent involved with the local Multiple Listing Service. Since these brokers are not required to view the home it’s often necessary to entice them with a snack bar. There may not be as many agents this time but the ones that do appear may already have a buyer in mind which can lead to a very quick property sale.

Listing agents are simply the most effective type of real estate representative to achieve fast results. As mentioned earlier, these three sales tools are used within the first week that your home is on the market - taking advantage of that window is absolutely critical.

The longer a home sits on a stale market, the less interest potential buyers are going to show. Make sure that your listing agent intends to take advantage of these methods and more for astoundingly quick property sales.