Navigating the real estate market in New York, whether you are a buyer or seller, can be a daunting task. As a seller, there is a lot that you can and need to do in order to sell your property, find a buyer, get the best sales price and get to the closing table. If you were to do this on your own, you could probably eventually figure it out, but if you had the right agent on your side from the moment you decided to sell, the thorny path to selling can be paved for you so that you can go smoothly from listing your place for sale through closing.
Teresa Staiano, a real estate agent with Prudential Douglas Elliman shares some tips for sellers in a recent call with me which you can hear below, and some of those tips are outlined here:
Staging
A vacant home does not appear to most buyers. In fact, only seven (7%) of people can actually visualize their furniture in it. So staging is crucial to showing your property. A staged home has a better chance of selling faster & for a higher price and can decrease the number of days that the property remains on the market.
Clutter
According to Teresa, “clutter eats equity” by making the home feel smaller. It distracts buyers from seeing the property itself because of all of the nick-knacks. Clutter can make a property feel dirty, cluttered and small which is not attractive to most buyers. “I would suggest taking down family photos and personal items , as they make the home feel more impersonal and let’s the buyer potentially see themselves there”, says Teresa Staiano.
Professional Photos
Professional photographs are a must. Many buyers today can do their own research online and can see pictures and sometimes take a “virtual tour” of a property before they go out to see it. Which photographs would be more appealing? Amateur photos or professional ones which can capture the true essence of your property.
Implementing this tips and strategies may appear to be simple and easy, but using the right professionals and having an “eye” for what buyers are looking for are invaluable. Listen for more tips from Teresa Staiano by clicking “play” below:
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As a European here in the US, the concept is staging is very odd to us. We presume that buyers are able to use their imagination but I’ve certainly noticed that it’s the ‘done thing’ over here. I totally agree that for the pictures staging is essential. If they don’t like the pictures they won’t even come through the door. Maybe in my next life I’ll do this for a job, it sounds like fun.
I totally agree with staging. Even in our little rental property we have noticed that it gets rented a lot easier if they view it with current tenants furniture inside, whereas if it is already empty when they view they perceive it to be a lot smaller.
I totally agree that staging worked. We bought our house because it was so nicely staged! In fact, I took pictures of it at the open house, and then arranged our furniture the same way. I even purchases a few pieces of furniture like what the stager had used! Now, I need to declutter like we were going to sell….
So true! Hiring a professional is worth it. I hired a home stager before I put my place on the market. I had an offer within days! It certainly didn’t feel like “home” to me because it was more neutral but it was more appealing to the buyers. Great advice and I love the pictures!
A realtor told my client that she should spend $25,000 to update her house…and that she would get it all back. He said the people buying houses now can afford to pay more for a house, but would not afford the time to do it. He was right and she sold her house for her asking price. I am in the midwest, do you see this to be true across the country? ~Cathy
Great tips from Teresa, Sabra! I can imagine staging being a very fun job, decluttering not so much so.