Staging, Virtual Tours, and Other Ways to Sell Your Home in 2020

 

Over the past few months, the way that many people show their homes changed drastically. Virtual showings have been gaining in popularity for years, but the COVID-19 pandemic pushed sellers and buyers everywhere to opt for safer alternatives over in-person showings and open houses.

If you want to put your home on the market right now, you shouldn’t let the pandemic dash your hopes. By preparing your home, embracing some of the newer ways to show your home, and keeping your home in great condition while it’s on the market, you can set yourself up for a sale that you’re happy with.

Prepare the Home

Getting your home ready is critical whether you’re showing your home virtually or in person. Sure, you might be impressed by how nice your property is, but you will still need to put some work into making sure it appeals to a wide range of buyers.

For example, you will want to go through your entire home and declutter as you’ve never decluttered before. Sort through all of your belongings and decide what you will keep in the home while it’s on the market, what you will put into storage, and what you need to sell, donate or throw away.

Along with decluttering, The Spruce explains you need to deep clean the home and stage it for sale. Staging basically means that you make any adjustments necessary to bring your home’s best features to the forefront while also catering to a wide audience. Remember that you want prospective buyers to be able to envision themselves living in the home.

Look at Other Properties

When staging your home, take a look at other properties in your area. How are home sellers presenting their homes? What kind of minor and major renovations have they made? How good are their listing photos? Answering questions like these will help you get an idea of the competition you face. And while you’re at it, review the market in your area to help you determine whether you need to adjust your asking price. Some scrutiny can help shape your presentation for a faster sale.

Harness the Power of Technology

These days, there are several alternatives to physical showings and open houses. For example, virtual tours are becoming more and more popular among sellers and buyers alike. They are relatively simple for sellers — don’t forget to look for ways to expertly prep and stage your home  — and they don’t have to worry about arranging people to come to their home in person. And during virtual tours, buyers are able to view homes remotely, they get to see intricate details through a variety of camera angles, and they can sometimes restage the homes via digital editing.

Another option to consider is holding live video chats. This is exactly what it sounds like: You use a video chat software or app (e.g., Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, etc.) to take remote visitors on a tour of your home. This is perhaps the simplest way to show your home. Moreover, make sure you invest in top-notch listing photos, as they still play a vital role in making an impression on prospective buyers.

Keep the Home Show-Ready

Lastly, once your home is ready to show, it’s important to keep it that way the whole time it’s on the market. You never know when you will get a request for a last-minute showing, and you don’t want to be scrambling to deep clean the kitchen or clear the clutter out of your living room. This is especially important to keep in mind if you have kids at home and/or you are working from home.

The process may look a little different than it once did, but now is still a good time to sell your home. Take all the necessary steps to get your home ready for showings and photos, and review other homes in your areas to see what you’re up against. Also, embrace virtual touring and/or live video chat for showing your home, and be sure to maintain your home while it’s on the market. Putting these tips into practice will set you in a great position to make the sale you envision.

Written by Shirley Martin