The process of selling a home may appear straightforward, but the truth is it involves a lot of paperwork as well as ensuring that the property in question is functional and aesthetically pleasing to potential buyers. If you’re selling your home privately, you may want to consider enlisting a professional home stager to help you make a good impression and sell your home as quickly as possible.
Liesa Jossel, President of the International Association of Home Staging South Africa and founder of Home Stagers Cape Town and Home Stagers Training, states that home staging presents a lot of benefits for people who are selling their homes privately.
According to Jossel, properties that are empty tend to be much harder to sell, and often sit on the market for longer. This can be attributed to the fact that buyers are more attracted to well-presented homes that they can envision themselves living in.
A professional home stager can offer you their extensive interior design expertise and present your home to potential buyers in the most attractive way - helping you to secure a quicker sale. Infact, Jossel states that many homes she’s decorated have been sold on the first day of the show house at the seller’s asking price, which illustrates the benefit of enlisting a professional home stager.
Invariably, you’ll spend less time, money, and effort marketing your home and preparing for viewings with a home stager. You’ll also be more likely to sell your home at your asking price, even in an unstable economic climate like the one we currently find ourselves in.
When asked what buyers really want to see when viewing a home, Jossel highlighted the importance of showing every room in the home has a specific purpose. Sellers can stage their own homes, but it’s important to analyse every room to see what aspects can be adjusted to be more appealing to buyers. Some suggestions include decluttering each room to give buyers a clear view of the space, and the purpose for which its intended. This will also help to make the space appear more expansive and inviting. You can then depersonalise the space by removing any personal photographs and adding neutral furniture and decor to appeal to people of varying tastes.
Plants are an integral part of any living space and add to the general appeal of a home. Strategically place some plants and art in certain areas to make the home more visually appealing.
Last but not least, you need to ensure that the environment is kept as neat and tidy as possible. Be sure to give the home a clean sweep, and if the home has a garden, make sure it is in pristine condition.
The goal of a home stage is to allow the viewers to envision themselves living in the home, and following Jossel’s advice will make that possible. In essence, sellers should remember to make their home stage aspirational, just as if someone were paging through a furniture magazine.
If you’re interested in hiring a professional home stager, the price is dependent on factors such as where you live, the labour involved, the number of rooms that need to be staged, transport costs, and more. Overall, you can expect to pay at least 0,5% of your property value for a home stage.
To learn more about home staging, visit Home Stagers Cape Town.