Stage It To Sell

It's no secret that the real estate market is unpredictable. It's constantly changing and nothing is ever guaranteed. In the Hamptons, there are many properties on the market with very little distinguishing one from the next and because only a small percentage of buyers can actually afford such desirable real estate, it is necessary to make a home stand out if you want to sell it quickly and make the most money possible. There are several ways to gain an advantage over the competition and make your home a gem among the other houses. A popular technique used to prepare a house that is on the market is staging, which goes beyond cleaning, redecorating, painting and rearranging the furniture in a home. It is what you do after these things are done that is important. Staging is an art form that enhances the finer details to create an unforgettable energy and make the home appear bigger, warmer, loving and more appealing to the buyer.

Professionals who stage homes for a living are known as Accredited Staging Professional Masters (ASPs). They take an empty, lifeless house and give it soul by playing up certain features and enhancing each room. Hiring an ASP can be pricey, especially in the Hamptons where home staging is in high demand. If you can't afford this service, there are ways to "stage on a dime," so that your house sells faster.

It has been proven that an empty home sits on the market longer than a home decorated with furniture. A potential buyer likes to envision the special possibilities, which is difficult to do in a vacant room. So if you are selling a home that has never been occupied, or if you have already vacated, consider borrowing or renting furniture. If the home is furnished, clear all clutter throughout the house and display decorative objects in groups of 1, 3 or 5. Also, it is better to store extra furniture and possessions in a storage unit than to present a cluttered home to potential buyers. In the kitchen, clear the front of the refrigerator and remove unnecessary items from the countertops. Although potential buyers need furnishings to create a vision, they should also be able to mentally move their own things into the room. The living room area should appear spacious and light. Dark, small rooms will cause a home to linger on the market. Use natural light during the day and turn on all interior and exterior lights at night.

Depersonalizing is also an important part of staging a home. Remove all personal photographs, religious items, certificates, stacks of mail and other memorabilia. This will allow potential homebuyers to focus on the home itself, not just the items displayed. It will also allow them to imagine their own belongings in the space. When it comes to the walls and floors, neutral colors are most appealing, unless the home has unique fixtures or bold finishes that would be desirable to a luxury homebuyer. In the bathroom, remove all unnecessary items from the countertops, bathtub and shower, and only display towels in one or two colors.

The goals of staging a home are to downplay its flaws, enhance its best features and understand the psychology of homebuying. If you aren't design savvy and want to hire a professional home stager, it is an excellent way to create a pleasing "flow" throughout the home, and make a highly regarded first impression on potential buyers, because after all, first impressions are key. It has been said that a potential homebuyer makes a decision within the first eight seconds of seeing a house. Staging has been around for decades, but recently it has become almost a necessity in high-end real estate markets, such as the Hamptons. When hiring a home stager, get several estimates, ask for photos of projects they have worked on and references from previous clients. Based on your budget, home stagers will shop, plan and take care of other stressful aspects of selling a home, while getting more bang for your buck. At first, hiring a home stager may seem like a risky investment, but if you talk to people who have done it, they will most likely testify that their homes sold for even more than expected and faster than they imagined.

- Janine Cheviot