Home Staging News

6 Great Tips to Prepare Your Home for the Seattle Real Estate Market

Sat, 24 Aug 2019 03:17:10 GMT

If you want your home to stand out in the hot Seattle real estate market and surrounding cities, there’s a few important steps you should take. While baking cookies to give potential buyers a whiff of what home really smells like is a great start, it’s going to take more than chocolate chips to close the deal. As you prepare to sell your home be sure to consider the following, as completing the following is sure to decrease time on the market and increase the sale price!

Remove Odors

If there is one thing hope shoppers are going to notice when they enter a home, or certain a room in a home, is a bad smell. If you live with pets or had a hobby room that was subjected to chemical use, you’re going to want to utilize odor elimination tactics. A foul scent will almost always result in a buyer passing up on a home.

Deep Cleaning

Scrubbing your home down to its bones is a given, but the job is a lot harder than it sounds. Remember that home buyers will be looking in every closet and corner of the tub, so a true wall to wall cleaning is necessary.

Remove Personal Items

Since you’re trying to help a buyer see themselves in the home as their own, it’s time to take down excessive family photos in the hallway, children’s art on the fridge, and other items near and dear to you.

Neutral Color Paint

While your kids’ pink and green rooms or peach fuzz family room may pull the house together in your eyes, it’s nothing but a distraction to buyers. Painting the walls whites and tans will help buyers focus on the actual space, opposed to the color of the wall.

Enhance Curb Appeal

First impressions are everything! It’s time to enhance the front of your home with potted plants, power washing the driveway and walkways and completing any repairs to the exterior of the home that may draw a wary eye.

Stage the Home!

If you want to truly wow potential buyers who visit your house, utilize a home staging expert! Staging a home for sale in Seattle and the neighboring areas is a sure way to stand out in the market. This practice ensures visitors will see how big spaces really and how best they can be utilized by using modern, practical furnishings and accessories.

At KCD Staging we offer complete home staging in Bellevue, Seattle and throughout the Eastside. Our luxury home staging services are second to none and are specifically designed to wow buyers from the moment they pull into the driveway. If you’d like to learn more about our services or request an estimate please don’t hesitate to contact us by calling 206-383-6767 today!

Is Staging a Home Really Worth the Time & Money?

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 16:06:55 GMT

Preparing a home for the market is by no means a small task. Year after year of the daily grind can take a toll on any house, even those under the care of the most maintenance savvy homeowners. Aside from fresh paint and new flooring, properties headed to market need to be presented in a manner that is going to attract the most possible buyers by allowing them to picture themselves living in the space. To do so, modern and attractive furnishings need to be moved in, neutral art hung, and subtle accessories that pull everything together in each room to be placed. Sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? Well, in truth, it really is. That’s why many people place their trust with a staging expert to assist with their home listing. But does the time, effort and small investment really pay off? Absolutely.

Attract More Home Buyers

When it comes to selling a home, presentation is everything. Even if your home’s listing doesn’t check every box on a buyer’s checklist, if it’s attractive in pictures they are going to be much more likely to come and see it in person. Drawing buyers to a home can be a challenge, even in a hot real estate market, but with expert staging you can cast the widest net since a professional stager will set your home up for success, quite literally, making even the most picky buyers look twice.

Memorable Open House Tours

Pictures tell one story, but seeing a home in person can have quite a different impact on a potential buyer. Once inside the home it’s important to keep potential buyers engaged from room to room. What may be attractive to you, is not going to necessarily impress someone looking for a new home. A home stager utilizes neutral and popular styles that ensure those who walk through a home will remember every step.

Increase Home Sale Price

Ultimately, the goal of home staging is to ensure the sale of the home. The benefit to the seller of course is that doing so will bring more buyers, and hopefully more money. A well staged home in a great real estate market is highly likely to incite a bidding war. This of course will drive up the final price of the home, often far above the original asking price. In a recent survey, 22 percent of sellers’ agents reported a 1 to 5 percent increase in value offered by buyers compared to similar homes that were not staged. In the same survey 17 percent of respondents found staging a home increased the sale price between 6 and 10 percent!

Investing in home staging is a wonderful way to drive up the final sale price of your home. If you’re considering selling your home and would like to talk with a home staging expert in Seattle, Bellevue or throughout the Eastside reach out to KCD Staging. Our home staging team is highly skilled at bringing homes to life to attract the most buyers! To learn more about our Bellevue and Seattle home staging services give us a call at 206-383-6767 today!

Great Investments to Boost the Sale Price of Your Home

Mon, 24 Jun 2019 16:45:43 GMT

Even in Western Washington’s hot real estate market it’s important to take the proper steps to prepare a home for sale if you want to maximize its final price. There are no shortage of home improvements that you can do, but remember, a little goes a long way in real estate. So while a full kitchen remodel may seem like a good idea, there are plenty of more affordable improvements that can be done to entice buyers from the moment they set foot on the property. Here’s our tips for boosting the sale price of your home.

Neutral Paint Colors

If only the orange walls in your child’s bedroom could talk. Those colors that cover the walls throughout your home may have been appealing to you and your family, but it’s time to cover them up if you’re getting ready to sell. To help buyers picture themselves making new memories in your home you’ll want to repaint those less traditionally colored walls with a light tan, off white or creamy white coat.

Curb Appeal

The exterior of your home is just as important as the inside, if not more, when it comes to first impressions for buyers. Trimming trees, removing stumps and dying shrubs and greening the grass are great steps to take to improve curb appeal, but you can take it a step further. Planting brightly colored flowers or utilizing potted or hanging plants will create an inviting atmosphere for prospective buyers, helping them see themselves hanging out in the yard for years to come.

New Flooring

Another quick and relatively affordable method for boosting your home’s appeal and sale price is installing new carpeting throughout the home, or at least in areas that really need it. If your budget allows, new hardwood flooring will provide the best return on investment.

Home Staging

While permanent investments are always great for ensuring you get the most out of your home, staging a house is always the icing on the cake that ensures your home appeals to today’s buyers. A home staging expert, such as the professionals at KCD Staging, will dress your home for success using modern furnishings and accessories that appeal to the masses.

If you are preparing to sell your home and would like assistance preparing it for the Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland or surrounding real estate markets be sure to contact KCD Staging. Our Seattle and Eastside home staging experts have numerous options available to home sellers and agents that would like to maximize the final sale price of a property. Give us a call at 206-383-6767 or email us at karen@kcdstaging.com today to request a quote for custom home staging in Bellevue, Seattle and beyond.

Most Important Areas to Stage When Selling a Home

Mon, 20 May 2019 18:46:00 GMT

When it comes time to put a house on the market there are a few important tasks that the homeowner should do to increase the sale price. While completing necessary repairs will help maximize value, so will showcasing the home in the most attractive manner. To do the latter home staging often needs to be conducted so the house appeals to the widest variety of buyers. A properly staged home will entice buyers by feeding their imaginations and allowing them to picture their family at home while touring the property. For best results there are a few primary locations that should be addressed when staging a home for sale, including the following.

Kitchen

At the heart of every home is the kitchen. To tempt potential buyers the kitchen needs to be free of clutter and showcase the available space for cooking, nibbling and entertaining. Displaying the latest kitchen gadgets is a great way to demonstrate the usability of the room.

Master Bedroom

The master bedroom needs to be shown in the most positive and modern manner as this is where the buyers will be spending their days and nights relaxing, sleeping and enjoying personal time. Warm colors, cozy decor and inviting furniture should be implemented to attract buyers.

Bathroom

All bathrooms are personal spaces where people tend to start and end their day. The appeal of a bathroom can really make or break a housing deal so it is critical that it feels updated and usable to any potential buyer.

Dining/Living Room

Depending on the layout of a home it may or may not have a separate dining room. In either case, the dining area and living room needs to highlight the spots where family and friends will gather to make memories for years to come. These spaces need to assure buyers they will have room to entertain crowds as well as enjoy time with just themselves.

Undefined Spaces

Any spaces that do not have a defined use, such as extra rooms, office/loft areas and so forth should be staged so buyers can be given a proper idea of what can be done with the extra square footage. Leaving a buyer questioning what to do with a particular area in the home will likely give them enough reason to pass.

Home staging is a critical component of selling a home if you want to maximize value. Working with a home staging expert will ensure that the proper areas of your home are dressed for success! To learn more about how staging can benefit your sale or to request an estimate for home staging in Seattle, Bellevue or throughout the Eastside contact the team at KCD Staging. We’re highly skilled at maximizing the sale price by enticing buyers with modern design. To request a custom estimate for home staging in Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond and the surrounding communities, give our team a call at 206-383-6767 or email us at karen@kcdstaging.com today!

4 Reasons Staging a Vacant Home Raises Your Sale Price

Mon, 22 Apr 2019 22:01:45 GMT

The question to stage a home comes up just about every time a property is prepared for the market. While some homeowners struggle with the idea of spending time and money to stage a house for sale the answer should invariably be yes. Studies confirm that staging will almost always help increase the sale price. This is especially true when trying to sell a vacant home, even in a thriving real estate market like that in Kirkland, Bellevue and Seattle areas.

Your goal as a seller, and that of your real estate agent, is to get the most money for your property. Selling an empty home presents four issues that could ultimately lead to a lower dollar figure than you hoped. Read through these dilemmas about selling a vacant property and then connect with a home staging expert that can help boost the sale price!

Empty Rooms Look Smaller

In just about every scenario an empty room will feel and look smaller than it really is. As a potential buyer moves through an empty house they may question whether or not their favorite couch will fit or if their artistic centerpiece will take up too much wall space because they don’t have anything to use for reference. A home staging professional can fill a room with nice furniture, art and other accessories that will allow buyers to see how to best utilize any space.

Staging a Vacant Home Builds Emotion

When a possible buyer tours an empty home, or even an occupied home that hasn’t been updated to reflect the latest trends and fashions, the space likely won’t evoke any emotion, which hurts the chances of closing the deal.

Empty Rooms Stunt the Imagination

By staging a home you’ll help buyers see the property’s full potential. They can imagine their own furniture in a similar layout, or get a rush of excitement at the thought of decorating with brand new furnishings and accessories. You want buyers to walk in and immediately feel at home so they’ll pull out their checkbook and sign the dotted line. That is improbable if they walk into an undressed house that leaves everything to the imagination.

Empty Rooms Show Flaws

One of the most important reasons to stage a vacant home is to cover up its flaws. It’s easy to see scratched flooring, undesirable window dressings, or worn paint when there is nothing to hide it. Adding texture and warmth to a room with expert home staging is the best way to cover its flaws, whatever they may be.

Statistics

If you’re not yet a believer in professional home staging just know that in one recent study of more than 4,000 home sales 85% of the staged homes sold for 6-25% more than the comparable unstaged home. Not only did staged homes sell for a higher price, but they were off the market in half the time too!

If you are preparing to sell a house and would like to stage a home in Seattle, Bellevue or throughout the Eastside reach out to KCD Staging. They can assist with all home staging needs to help you get the best possible price. To learn more, or to request a custom estimate for home staging in Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland and the neighboring communities, give us a call at 206-383-6767 or email us at karen@kcdstaging.com today!

Keeping Up With Today's Real Estate Technology

Wed, 07 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

With newer industry technology such as Zillow, Redfin, etc., buyers have begun to make many initial decisions based on photographs, most importantly, whether or not to make the time to tour your home in person. Prior to the rise of these websites, buyers relied more heavily on the advice and direction of their real estate agent, often viewing new homes for the first time in person on a days, weeks or months long tour of the available inventory that matched their search criteria. Now your home must shine in your professional listing photographs in order to even stand a chance of being seen. And once the buyers do arrive, it must live up to their expectations of perfection. We all live in our homes very differently than the way that they need to be presented upon introduction to the real estate market. Buyers expectations have changed along with the changes in technology affecting the way the entire real estate industry operates.

At KCD Staging we thrive on keeping up with current real estate technologies and trends and we go the extra mile to ensure your home is staged for success. Contact us today to preview your home or request a proposal at 206.353.8731.

Why It’s So Important to Minimize Market Time

Tue, 06 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

One of the biggest benefits to home staging in the Seattle and Eastside areas is reduced market time. Don’t let your house sit on the market! Year after year, no matter how hot the market is, we get calls from clients who have had trouble selling their homes and are ready to try
staging. Once staged, homeowners are amazed by how fast they are able to sell. Don’t make the same mistake! Preparing your home for the market may feel like a daunting list of to-do’s, but make sure not to cut corners where it counts. It is always best to put the work in upfront to secure a faster sale. Homes get the most visibility and traffic immediately after being listed, so your goal should be to make everything picture-perfect for your list date.

The first place real estate agents and buyers view your home is via online photos. If the professional photography is not compelling, your home may be overlooked. As time goes on, interest dwindles further. Buyers start to question homes that have accrued more market time than their competitors. If the home has been sitting on the market, buyers tend to assume there is a problem even if they have not seen the home in person.

Those buyers who do tour your home after it has already accrued time on the market will come in with a different attitude than if you were just listed. There is no longer the excitement that comes with a newly listed home and the feeling that it could be snatched up by another buyer at any time. Instead, buyers feel like they have time. There is no rush to make an offer. And worse, it is more likely that any offers you do receive will come in low due to the lack of competition from other buyers.

Staged homes sell faster, and your best position for attaining the highest and best price on your home is to capture the most attention from buyers immediately when your home hits the market. The less market time your home accrues, the less you will have to pay in carrying costs and the sooner you will be able to move on with the next phase of your life! We can help get your home sold on the Greater Eastside areas in Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah and all surrounding Seattle areas. Contact us today to setup an appointment by calling 206.383.6767 or filling out the Request a Proposal form below.