Home Staging Advice: 9 Tips to Compete with New Construction - Part 1

So many homes for sale today have been lived in. They're fine. They keep the rain out, there's places for everyone to be, keep stuff, do stuff and be together. But, they're not new. They're "pre-owned", "lived-in", and "worn" to varying degrees. How then can these venerable structures retain their value and compete with new construction?

Here is Part 1 of an article I've been working on for a bit now. The whole article is a bit long for a single blog, so today we'll have Tips 1 - 4. In part 2, I'll review the survey presented at last month's International Home Builder's Show in Orlando, FL, where a panel of experts discussed what consumers say they are looking for in a brand new house, and then incorporate those "wants" into tips 5 - 9.

Tip 1 - Lighting

The biggest "tangible" difference you can make to approximate new construction is to add lighting. Lots of it.

Especially recessed lighting. That says new construction to me faster than anything else.

I like the idea that came up in a previous post - of changing out the switchplates for a crisp new look - yet wonder if it's ethical to get the electrician in to replace all the thin button switches to the 1" panel ones? It's looks like then you've updated the wiring, but have you?

I think if you want top dollar in this and indeed any market, you should add recessed lighting.

Tip 2 - Mint Condition

If a brand new home is all new, it is essentially in Mint Condition. An owner-occupied house can also be put into mint condition:

Fresh paint, Refinished (or Buffed Up) Floors, everything in like-new or "triple-mint condition" as I often see in listings.

In addition, as we all know and repeat ad infinitum, you can do a lot to oust that "pre-owned" sense once the whole house is clean, very clean, sparklingly CLEAN!!

A freshly shampooed, or newly installed carpet can have paper or plastic runners/pathways down. This not only directs the flow, and order of how the home gets shown, but also clearly suggests that there is something on the floor worth preserving!

More and more, I'm having to remind sellers to bleach the grout, or even re-grout (in bathrooms and kitchens.) Sellers, you need to Kaboom everything in sight, and replace anything seriously moldy, chipped and disintegrating.

Tip 3 - SMELL

All homes have a smell. New homes, like new cars, have a very distinct, attractive aroma. What is it? I'm thinking it has to be a combination of paint, varnish, sawdust.... but if I paint my nails near a cedar-scented candle I can't get close!! (An A.P.B. to Inventors... if you can bottle New Car, can you take a crack at New House?)

All occupied homes have a certain smell, too. Usually not the nicest. Consider shampooing the rugs and carpets, steam cleaning the curtains and opening up the windows for fresh air. The Fabreze 7 Day Program is hugely effective - I recommend it. Always have a can on hand to run round your house with it as you're turning on lights, just prior to a showing.

Tip 4 - Certified Pre-owned

It worked for Lexus. Then BMW, Mercedes and now it's so standard there's an auto industry acronym - CPO. "Can I interest you in a CPO?" (And we all thought CPO stood for Certified Professional Organizer....)

Some realty offices offer an inexpensive home warranty program. This is a great way of assuring the buyer that all the equipment is in fine working order and if not, it's covered by insurance. The risk shifts to the seller and the buyer feels more at ease.

You can extend your current warranties on appliances and offer that as an incentive to the buyer. This again shifts the risk and ameliorates the anxiety.

Any brand new appliance should have its sticker still on with the energy savings, etc. but more on that in Part 2.

We have had good success with these tactics and other staging principles, here in the $1 - 3 million niche of homes in North Central New Jersey. Stay tuned for Part 2....

....where I'll review the list of "wants" people are asking for in new homes, as identified at last month's International Builders' Show in Florida. Then I'll answer those wants with tips 5 - 9.

© Juliet Johnson Staging