Rave’s Weekly Home Staging Radio Show
As we near the end of October, the holiday season is already upon us. So is election season.
Properties in the neighborhoods where you stage are likely dotted with jack-o’-lanterns, gourds, and political signs. These are fairly mundane objects, but they can negatively affect the value of your home once it’s on the market—as Melissa Marro, owner of Rave Home Staging, explains on her weekly radio show.
Let’s say you stage and arrange for professional photos in October, and in these photos, you have visible Halloween decorations. When shown to a prospective buyer around New Years, these photos will automatically date your home as having already spent at least two months on the market.
It’s best to keep all holiday and seasonal decorations out of a house’s professional photos. By staging a home for all seasons, you keep your listing looking fresh and timeless.
Don’t Get Political
It’s also best to avoid election signs. Prospective buyers may belong to a different party or simply support a different candidate. This may seem like common sense for the property you’re staging, but even election signs in a neighboring yard can scare away potential buyers.
Consider speaking with the neighbors once a listing goes up. Ask if they would mind putting away their signs just while you show the house. The sale of your house will directly affect the neighbors’ property values, so it’s in their interest to give you the best chance of securing a profitable sale.
Buyers Are Getting Younger
One of the most important considerations for staging a house is your target market. While the local housing market is slowing down, more and more homes are going to millennials. As of January of 2017, more mortgages have gone to millennials than any other generation.
Millennials tend to buy smaller houses. They’re also more likely to make down payments. Many have been saddled with enormous student debt, opting to live at home and save aggressively—which might be why they finally feel financially stable enough to buy homes.
A Timeless Stage
When you’re crafting a fresh, timeless look for your house, remember to minimize decorations and signs and always keep your target market in mind. Will your listing still be relevant as the climate—not just the seasons, but the housing climate and the political climate—changes?
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