Here at DCAR, we want to make your jobs easier. That’s why we’ve started up our Tuesday Tidbits series, a weekly email that will provide you with a useful, relevant piece of information that will hopefully come in handy as you work. If you missed any of the previous editions, those are archived here.
Much of the information we use in these emails comes from the National Association of REALTORS® resources RealtorMag and HouseLogic. We encourage you to browse through their content for other useful tips.
Staging a Home
Staging a home is one of the best tools for selling a home, and it’s hard to overstate the value of it, when done properly. Per NAR’s Profile of Home Staging, 29% of sellers’ agents reported a 1-5% increase in dollar value offered by buyers, and 21% reported a 6-10% increase.
Ways to Make a Home More Appealing
HouseLogic, a site created by the National Association of REALTORS®, compiled a whopping 81 tips for staging a home. The list is broken up by room, so you can find all the kitchen staging tips you need at any given point, then come back when you’re done for the living room tips. We’ve picked out one tip per room, but head over to HouseLogic (link below) for all the others, and be sure to check out the rest of the site for other helpful tips.
- Living room: Help buyers imagine their life in your home. Set the scene by displaying a board game or tea service on the coffee table, and arrange furniture in conversational groups.
- Kitchen: Empty all trash cans and move them out of sight.
- Bedrooms: Consider giving extra bedrooms a new identity as a home office, sewing room or another interesting function.
- Dining room: Let buyers entertain the idea of entertaining. Set out some chic place settings around the table, or a few wine glasses and a decanter on the buffet.
- Bathrooms: Take a daring sniff of the drains. Odorous? Clean them out, and deodorize with baking soda, boiling water or vinegar.
- Walls, windows and more: Have a dark corner or hallway? Brighten it up with a decorative mirror.
Help us help you!
Have an idea for a Tuesday Tidbits subject? Looking for help on a particular topic? Send an email to bfrantz@dcrealtors.org with your input and you might see it in a future Tuesday Tidbits email.
The information expressed herein is intended to serve as a general resource guide for the members of the District of Columbia Association of REALTORS® and is subject to change. While the District of Columbia Association of REALTORS® strives to make the information in this email as timely and accurate as possible, the Association makes no claims or guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the contents, and expressly disclaims liability for any errors and omissions. This information should not be taken as legal counsel.
Roger Middleton
My wife and I have been trying to sell our home but unfortunately, we haven’t had the best luck when it comes to actually getting someone to purchase our home. I liked that you had mentioned that when it comes to having someone look at the home it can be important to make the dining room look lived in and have some place mats in place. We might just have to start making our home more lived in to appeal to those looking at the home, we might just have to hire a professional to stage our home as they might know a bit more when it comes to staging.
Bryan Frantz
Thanks for the comment, Roger. And good luck!