New techniques for marketing houses, fresh, new interior design home staging ideas, will help sell your home faster, and for a higher price than the competition. What do home buyers want? They want a home that meets their needs. However, they'll eventually buy the home that makes them FEEL happy and will impress their friends, because they also want to be proud of the home they've chosen. Your choice of decorating colors, patterns, textures, and furnishings will influence the way a prospective buyer feels, and the buyer's feelings will impact their choice of housing. Home Staging with Design Psychology, unlike traditional interior design, brings into play: * Color instead of bland white walls * Furnishings for feelings * Props to entice buyers COLORS help you sell your home to your target market. One mistake many real estate agents make is to tell sellers to paint everything white. White may look clean, but it does little to make a buyer feel as if they "just can't live without the home." White walls also don't create cheerful feelings, and even worse, white walls don't make most people look good. Buyers will ultimately buy the home that makes them feel happy while making them look great at the same time. As for FURNISHINGS, use cozy-snuggly pieces in cooler weather and fewer furnishings during hot, steamy months, in order to encourage a buyer's emotional response. When a buyer sees your home as a sanctuary from the hectic and harsh world, you'll sell that home. PROPS include things such as paintings, to add depth and make the rooms feel bigger, and flowers or plants, in the right emotional colors for the season. Costs of Transforming Your Home into a Buyer's Dream House Most home sellers can invest about $500 to spruce up their home for a quick sale, and a little paint and a little sweat will go a long way. To save some money, check out Restore, which is Habitat for Humanity's thrift store, for building supplies. They carry "oops paint" and lighting fixtures for next to nothing. If you decide to replace carpeting, appliances, and other big ticket items, transformation costs for completely going through a house can cost up to $8,000 for an average home. Home Staging to Sell Faster for More Money Always consider your target market and their emotional needs. First-time buyers want shelter and security, while move-up buyers desire prestige and peace. After you've cleaned and shined your home, set the stage. Add a few props, carefully selected to encourage a prospective buyer's desired emotions and paying special attention to happiness, joy, serenity, and security. Putting a little extra effort into the marketing your home will pay off with a faster sale and a bigger paycheck at closing. Copyright 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher |
