What do blind dates and real estate have in common?

Post Date: 11/21/2019

A good first impression means everything. How you may make more money with Staging your home.

You've felt the jitters of needing to make a good first impression whether walking into a job interview or extending a hand to a stranger on a first date. How can you avoid wondering if you're putting your best foot forward?

Make a good impression every time.

In real estate, this can also make you more money. Rise above the fray and showcase all of the assets your home has to offer while allowing buyers to see themselves in your space.

Imagine yourself in a blind date scenario.

You don’t really know much about the person you’ll be meeting but you do know that you’d like to make a good impression. Their likes or dislikes aren’t something you can take into account so when deciding how to present yourself you need to just put your best foot forward. Now equate this scenario with the real estate world.

Putting a home on the market correctly takes a lot of expertise.

Understanding the ebbs and flows of geographic market space, how to price correctly the first time, when and where to market the property are all things that must be taken seriously and worked through but, making a good impression for every “blind date” is essential. Over 78% of buyers find the home they eventually purchase on-line so presentation for the on-line eventual buyer is essential to successfully selling a home. Staging is the key!

In 2017 the National Association of Realtors conducted a survey that said 49% of the buyer's agents believe staging affects most buyers’ view of a home and 77% say it’s easier for people to visualize a staged home as their own. That survey also said 29% of sellers’ agents said staged home sale prices were 1-5% higher than unstaged homes and 39% of seller’s agents reported staged homes selling faster with days on market being reduced.

People need to be able to see themselves in your space and while there are professional staging services available, there are a few simple rules that can be followed by the home seller to create that environment.

Rule #1:

Get rid of clutter and put personal items away. Box up spare belongings and remove them from your home.

Rule #2:

Try to create well-lit spaces and always concentrate efforts on important rooms first; mainly the kitchen, living room and master bedrooms and bathrooms. Arrange or rent furniture and add appropriate pops of color.

Rule #3:

Work on curb appeal. Mow the lawn, power wash fences or porches, remove yard waste and if selling in the wintertime, shovel the snow to clear a path for your prospective buyers. You want them to feel welcome.

Finally, the best advice is to hire an agent that can assist and/or advise you on best how to appropriately stage your home to get ready for selling.

A licensed Realtor who you know and trust can be your best advocate to guide you through this process. They generally know what is expected and what consumers want to see. Not all markets are the same, nor each home or location of the property. So, advice may vary from situation to situation.

With mortgage rates reaching and maintaining historic lows and renting becoming more difficult as prices rise, the real estate market continues to be competitive in our area. With more people in the market to buy and home inventory numbers increasing in Bozeman highlighting your homes unique features can help your home sell faster and for more money. According to the Real Estate Staging Association homes that are staged before going on the market sell 73% faster and because a majority of home buyers are looking online long before they step foot onto a property, dressing your home for its blind date can help you get to that sold sign more quickly and with a bigger check at the end of the day.