Thinking of listing your home in the spring? You may want to beat the rush and get at it sooner. A lot of homeowners that had their homes on the market last fall took them off for the holidays or winter season. Most of them are planning to relist in spring, or even sooner. Listing when there is less competition can put you in a better position to sell quickly.
In Halifax, Nova Scotia we experienced another buyers’ market last year, meaning there were more homes for sale than buyers available. 2015 will also be a buyers market in Halifax. Having your home looking great is essential no matter what time of year you list your home, or what the market conditions are – after all you want top dollar no matter when you sell! Having it look great involves de-cluttering, de-personalizing, fixing minor repairs, and sometimes adding more up to date furniture and décor to really make it stand out. De-cluttering sounds pretty easy, but many home owners struggle with this. After all you live in your home, and you don’t really see what is in your home anymore. Determining what needs to be de-cluttered and de-personalized, how rooms are best set up, how furniture might be arranged differently to make flow from room to room better, or to make your rooms appear bigger and create focal points are all things that a home stager can help you with during a consultation. And of course, furniture and décor can be rented to put the finishing touches on the home. Having your home staged can result in a buyer rushing to make an offer because they don’t want to lose it to another buyer.
If you have a vacant home, or you’re moving from your home into another one soon, and taking all your furniture with you inquire about vacant home staging. Vacant homes elicit no emotional connection with a buyer, and buying a home is definitely an emotional purchase. Vacant homes tend to sit on the market for extended periods of time. In vacant homes rooms look much smaller than they actually are, and many buyers struggle to picture how they would arrange their furniture, or worse, question whether or not their furniture would fit in the space. If you’re carrying two mortgages because you’ve moved into your new home and your old home hasn’t sold yet all the more reason to stage your home. Staging a home may be less expensive than you think – and better than a price reduction!
Never go it alone, always use a real estate agent! Start interviewing real estate agents if you don’t already have one that you work with. Find one that you’re comfortable with that you feel will work hard to get your home sold. It’s always important to price your home right when it hits the market. Pricing it too high will just have it sitting on the market longer. Your real estate agent has access to market data to help you price your home right.
Start out strong – with a great realtor, your home looking its best with the help of a home stager, and having it priced right from the beginning. That’s a winning combination!
Let me help you get your home looking its best before you list! Your realtor will thank you for it too – after all it’s much easier to sell a home that looks great and creates an emotional connection and must have for buyers.
Call me at 902-830-3170 or email me at joanna@stagedforupsell.com, I’d love to help you!
