Wilmington and Burgaw Area Real Estate News

If you ask many people what they believe staging a home is, you are likely to get a whole range of opinions. One of the most common replies is that home staging is just de-cluttering a home and painting the walls beige. Often this view is even held by professional real estate agents. Unfortunately from this perspective people are missing out on the majority of the value home staging can add to their listing. Painting and de-cluttering are important steps when preparing a home for sale, however, these are just two suggestions that a professional home stager might offer.

Home staging is becoming more widely recognized as an incredibly valuable tool to sell a home. Especially in the current economic climate, staging is critical to make your listing stand out from the thousands of other houses for sale.

The decision to buy or sell a house is one of the most emotionally charged decisions that people make. For sellers, this can have a huge impact on how they present their home for sale. Often a seller has mixed emotions about selling a house that may have decades of warm memories attached to it. Or they may be selling under difficult circumstances and may not want to invest any money into the house to bring it up to par. In either situation, a professional, such as a Realtor or home stager will be able to work within the scope of a seller's emotional state and gently guide them through the steps to create a home that buyers will fall in love with.

Just as a seller may have strong emotions attached to the property, a prospective purchaser is also making a decision based mostly on emotion and the factors that most influence their emotional response are often subconscious. You never get a second chance to make a first.

It is important to understand the generation gap that is frequently present between sellers and buyers. Statistics show that the average age of sellers is nearly 60, while the average age of buyers is 32. I don't think it is a stretch to say that most home buyers don't want to buy "grandma's house".

Prospective buyers want to purchase a home that fits their lifestyle. They don't want orange shag carpet, wood paneled walls and dusty old furniture. Seeing any of these items in a listing can be an instant turn off! The generation gap between buyers and sellers is often paralleled by a "style gap" that will bring down the value of a property tremendously. From top to bottom, inside and out, a professional will give you a competitive edge over your competition by presenting your property in its best light. If you are looking to sell your home please keep in mind staging is an investment of time and sometimes money, not an expense.

View “Preparing Your House for Sale” for a staging checklist and to learn more about how I can help you.

Tammy Barnes - Realtor - Burgaw, NC Real Estate - Wilmington, NC Area

Search for homes and land in the Wilmington, NC, metro area, including Leland, Hampstead, Burgaw, Ogden, Castle Hayne, Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, and Wrightsville Beach. You will also find information on the buying and selling real estate process, including preparing your home for sale and qualifying for home loans.