How to make a great first impression with home staging

Are you creating a bad first impression to your homebuyers? Have you overlooked the entrance to your front door? “I never go in that way,” is what most sellers will say. Are you guilty of this also? 

The first golden rule of home staging is to walk out in your front yard and take a look at your house. What do you see? Be honest or take a friend with you who will tell you the truth. It’s important!

Do not neglect the first impression of your house. Here are my top things to consider when standing out front and looking at your house:

• Pretty door mat
• Clean, well trimmed and freshly mulched landscape
• Trash cans out of sight
• No cobwebs at or around the front door area
• No visible wood rot
• Freshly painted threshold (if needed)
• Freshly painted front door
• A clean and working screen or storm door
• New or refurbished hardware on the front door
• Simple wreath

This is your opportunity to get your prospective homebuyers excited about your house. Give them a nice preview of what they can expect once they get inside. More than likely, your online photos attracted them to your house, don’t let them down at the front door. 

They are in the market to buy someone’s home – will it be your house? A house with bad curb appeal or unkempt landscaping sends the message that you don’t care about your house or it’s too much work. This generally isn’t a good message to send your buyers.

The first impression your house sends to your buyer happens in less than 10 seconds. It’s an emotional time for the sellers when selling, but it’s also emotional for the buyers. A seller already has emotions about their house. However, as a seller, you need to create an emotional feeling for a buyer who is thinking about creating their own memories there.

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About this Experts Contributor: Melinda Bartling, owner of Another Staged Home, has been staging homes since 2006 and has been in the real estate industry selling homes since 1987. Offering real estate and home staging services in the Overland Park, Kan., Bartling's firm earned the 2012 Angie's List Super Service Award. Follow this Experts contributor on Google+ or Twitter @MelindaBartling.

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As of May 30, 2014, this service provider was highly rated on Angie's List. Ratings are subject to change based on consumer feedback, so check Angie's List for the most up-to-date reviews. The views expressed by this author do not necessarily reflect those of Angie's List.