| When selling your investment property, are | | | | |
| you tempted to leave a room or the entire | | | | 1. People don't buy houses, they buy homes. |
| house empty? Decorating your house to sell, | | | | |
| also called Home Staging or Real Estate | | | | 2. It is difficult to understand how large a |
| Staging, will help you sell your investment | | | | room is when there's nothing in it as a |
| in record time and get top dollar for your | | | | reference point. |
| home. | | | | |
| | | | 3. People can't visualize how furniture will |
| If you have gone through the expensive and | | | | fit in an empty space, and if they're unsure, |
| time-consuming job of renovating, don't | | | | they don't buy. |
| decide to save money when it comes to | | | | |
| furnishings and accessories. | | | | 4. When a room is empty prospective buyers |
| | | | focus on negative details instead of falling |
| When you've gone through expensive | | | | in love with the overall space. |
| renovations, suffered with delays or extended | | | | |
| beyond your budget, it's difficult to stay | | | | Instead of looking at the flow of one room to |
| motivated to the bitter end. It can be | | | | another, prospective buyers get bogged down |
| tempting to say, "It's good enough. The | | | | in questions like: Is the drywall smooth? |
| paint's dry; let's put it on the market as | | | | Will those bumps in the carpet come out? Why |
| is!" | | | | doesn't the closet have a hanging bar? Why |
| | | | doesn't that molding fit perfectly? Why is |
| This is short sighted and can cost you a | | | | the light switch in the middle of the wall? |
| bundle! | | | | |
| | | | 5. When a house or even a few rooms are empty |
| It's relatively inexpensive to rent anything | | | | prospective buyers can get distracted from |
| you need, and these finishing touches help | | | | paying attention to the house and shift their |
| ensure you make the profit you deserve for | | | | focus to the home owners. |
| all those costly repairs. | | | | |
| | | | Instead of focusing on whether this is the |
| Imagine it's the Academy Awards. A big star | | | | home for them, they may be busy wondering: Is |
| is wearing a fabulous designer gown so she | | | | this a divorce? Have they left town? Are they |
| decides she doesn't need to get her hair | | | | selling because they have money problems? |
| done. Does everyone talk about the fabulous | | | | This train of thought can then prompt buyers |
| gown? Of course not, all they can remember is | | | | to starting thinking, "maybe I can put in a |
| the terrible hair! | | | | low ball offer since the seller might be |
| | | | desperate." Definitely not the picture you |
| Or imagine a fine painting stuck in a dollar | | | | are trying to paint. |
| store frame. Does the painting have the same | | | | |
| appeal as it would if it had been framed by a | | | | Home staging is about packaging a home to |
| professional? Conversely, have you ever | | | | show off its best features and downplay the |
| taken one of your child's paintings and had | | | | flaws. You romance the buyer and entice them |
| it framed? What a difference it makes | | | | into making an emotional connection with your |
| compared to how it looked when it was stuck | | | | house. So, bring in some furnishings and |
| on the fridge with a magnet. | | | | accessories to add character and warmth to |
| | | | the home. Taking the time to do these final |
| 5 REASONS IT'S A BAD IDEA TO LEAVE ROOMS | | | | details will ultimately translate into a |
| EMPTY WHEN SHOWING YOUR HOUSE: | | | | higher return on your investment. |