Staging A Home For Sale
Kirsten Hawkins

So your house is up for sale. It's a good house, well-priced
for the neighborhood, and in decent repair. But nobody's
buying. What's wrong?

The fact is, you might be looking right past the problem.
You've lived in your house day in and day out, and you're
accustomed to it being, well, your house. It takes a leap of
faith and imagination to picture another family living within
those familiar rooms. If it's hard for you to imagine someone
else living in your house, then chances are, it's hard for
potential buyers to imagine living there, too.

A new fad sweeping America is called "house staging." This is,
essentially, "de-personalizing" a house. Staging means making
small changes to decor to make it easier for potential buyers
to imagine themselves and their possessions in the house. It's
a subtle skill, and it works.

Staging can be a difficult process if you're still living in
the home while you're showing it. But keep in mind that when it
sells, you're going to be moving anyhow. Take advantage of this
opportunity to start packing, and start with the things you use
the least but see the most: Your decorations. It might be a
little uncomfortable at first living in a house with stripped
of photographs and refrigerator magnets, but it's worth the
effect it will have on walk-throughs. When people see a house
without personal effects, it reminds them of a showroom or a
model home, and makes it easier for them to imagine their own
belongings in the rooms. Think about it: Would you, as a buyer,
feel more at home in a living room crowded with photos of
someone else's kids, or a living room with clean walls and a
vase of flowers on the table? The former makes you feel like
you're intruding. The latter makes you feel the room's
potential.

Speaking of walls, it's important to take a good look at your
color choices. For staging purposes, soothing neutrals are the
best choices for your walls. Although it's easy for a buyer to
paint the house once they move in, the psychological effect of
seeing paint colors that clash with their furniture or taste
could cost you a sale.

Finally, staging involves one other major step: See your rooms
in a new way. Just because your family has always had the
computer set up in one corner of the bedroom doesn't mean it
has to stay there. Do some experimenting and try putting the
computer in an alcove off the front door, or behind a dining
room wall. Create new, practical spaces with your furniture to
show buyers the potential in each room. Try placing a small
sofa or table and chair in the office and making it a sitting
room instead. All houses have plenty of possibilities. The
trick is finding the potential in your house, and displaying it
in an effective way so buyers will be excited about making those
rooms their own.


About The Author: Kirsten Hawkins is a real estate expert from
Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.king-of-real-estate.com/ for
more information on real estate, mortgages, and finding the
house of your dream.