When a prospective buyer looks at your home what is the first thing that are going to see? If your answer was the entry way, or front foyer – you’re wrong! The very first thing that the buyer is going to see is your home from their car when they pull up. When it comes to staging your home for a successful sale, you need to start from the very edge of your property line, in other words, the curb appeal.
One of the biggest mistakes that a home seller can make is to down play the importance of the outdoors and their curb appeal. Especially when you are selling in a strong buyer’s market, it is crucial to maximize every inch of your property. The staging process should begin outside setting the stage for the home on the other side of the door.
When it comes to the front of the house, put yourself in the buyer’s place – literally. Get in your car, drive around the block and pull up to your house as if it was the first time that you were seeing it. What do you see? What works? What needs to change? Or better yet, have a friend do it and give you his or her honest, no holds barred opinion. First impressions are crucial and you want to be sure that the first impression your home gives, is an excellent one.
Trim back unruly bushes, replace plants that aren’t thriving and keep the lawn well manicured. By planting sweetly smelling bushes or flowers along a walkway, prospective buyers will begin to form positive impressions of your home before they even open the front door. Don’t forget to add your Pocket of Emotion to the curb appeal as well to guarantee that your buyer will fall in love with the property before they ever even go inside.
At Simple Appeal (www.simpleappeal.com) we know the importance of setting the stage, from the very beginning. From the very first moment that a prospective buyer sees your home, they should be forming positive associations. Ideally, you want a buyer to be able to emotionally associate with your home. Can they picture themselves coming home from work each day, pulling into the drive? Can they form an image of their children playing in the yard? These are the types of emotional responses you need to instill in prospective buyers – staging from the outside in.
