{"id":65082,"date":"2019-02-20T08:50:21","date_gmt":"2019-02-20T16:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/blog\/?p=65082"},"modified":"2021-10-06T18:47:43","modified_gmt":"2021-10-07T01:47:43","slug":"home-staging-tips-to-sell-home-redfin-concierge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/blog\/home-staging-tips-to-sell-home-redfin-concierge\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Home-Staging Tips from Redfin Concierge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Design and staging secrets on how to update your home and attract buyers without a major investment.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With 2019\u2019s<\/span> housing market off to a modest start<\/span><\/a>, sellers must seek to stand out. With more homes for sale in formerly red hot markets like Seattle, there\u2019s less competition for buyers. Fortunate for them, but as a result, sellers must make their homes shine in a way they haven\u2019t had to in years.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the smartest ways to go about this is staging<\/a>, which may help increase the home’s perceived value to buyers, said <\/span>Redfin Concierge<\/span><\/a> Lauren Lindsey.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSellers have their personal taste and style, and it might not be what buyers want,\u201d she said. \u201cBuyers may be thinking of spending their life\u2019s savings. If there\u2019s yellow on one wall and purple on the next, an immediate to-do list can feel daunting. Staging helps the home feel as new as possible so there are less objections.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Indeed for a 2 percent listing fee, the Redfin Concierge team provide all the benefits of a Redfin 1 percent listing, plus white-glove services to manage improvements in order to make a strong market debut. This includes a custom improvement plan for updates such as decor, lighting, paint, furniture placement, deep cleaning and decluttering.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t want to go into a home and see someone else\u2019s life. They want to envision their future. <\/span><\/p>\n

I make design choices to allow that, and also find out what the client needs, and how to accommodate them,\u201d Lauren said. \u201cIf the seller will be living in the home while it\u2019s being shown, I want them to sleep in their own bed and be comfortable, but eliminate pieces that might darken their space, or otherwise detract from the value of home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

To learn how to best stage your home, read on for Lauren\u2019s easy ideas and insider tips.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1. Replace outlet and light switch covers<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cReplacing yellowed outlet and light switch plates is an inexpensive, 28 cent way to change the perception of your home and make it look maintained. Yellowed fixtures can encourage the mind to go to negative places such as wondering whether there was smoking in the home.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

2. Cross line items off your closing list<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cDo simple things like replace old carbon monoxide detectors. This helps take line items off your inspection report. One line item less is always a good thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Say \u2018so long\u2019 to dark sofas<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cIf sofas are really dark, swap them for staging. Replace a dark brown leather sofa or reclining chair with softer grey pieces that look more modern. Pillows and throws helps, as does adding high end fake plants or succulents, which bring greenery and life to the home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Create systems to keep rooms neat<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cAnything that shows you\u2019ve been living there, like a toothbrush, needs to be put away. I give clients caddy baskets, like the kind you took to the bathroom in college. It creates an easy daily system to pull out what you need and then put it away. These habits help so you don\u2019t have to clean every day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Glaze your tiles<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cI had a bathroom with all purple tiles, and my seller couldn\u2019t justify spending an exorbitant amount of money to replace it, so we glazed it white. This also works for kitchens if the tile and grout is really dirty, and marbled bathroom vanity counter tops. They can all be glazed instead of replaced. Glaze is one of the tools I use most, and it\u2019s a no chip finish.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Don\u2019t show a bedroom as a home office<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cStage all bedrooms as bedrooms, because the number affects the value of the home. If you\u2019re staging one bedroom as an office, you\u2019ve just lost a bedroom because your buyers aren\u2019t going to come in and see it as a bedroom.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\n