'Rich Dad' discusses the importance of HOME STAGING

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It is always a shame when you leave profits on the table. This is particularly true in the area of real estate investing. Many entering into the real estate arena spend time learning strategies, putting together a Power Team, and acquiring marketing skills. Meanwhile, they relentlessly make offers until they find their deal. After they have acquired their property, and despite all of their hard work, few fully maximize their potential profits because they don’t take the time to properly present their property. Novice real estate investors should not feel alone, as many veterans make the same mistake, too.

The little extra touch that goes into the presentation of the property can dramatically alter its perceived value. When the presentation is properly executed, properties move faster, and sell and rent for more. This all leads to more profits for the investor. As a real estate investor, you have invested the time; now, just spend those few extra hours on the fine tuning that makes a big difference in your bottom line.

Many of the suggestions below require a bit of an artistic touch. This might not be your specialty, and may cause a level of anxiety. If you don’t feel you can refine these skills, then you may have someone in your life that can offer assistance. When there is money to be made, there is no shame in admitting that you don’t have a dormant interior designer inside you. If those around you are also lacking an artistic flair, there are several professional companies that can offer their services to help you present your property through staging your home and landscaping. Perhaps after utilizing these services, you can decide to continue to work with them, or you may have learned enough that you can duplicate their efforts in a reasonable manner.

Staging Your Home

When an individual walks into a home, a first impression is made. The nature of this impression is influenced by certain factors that you have no control of (number of bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.). There are things within your control, however, that can enhance your chances of creating that positive first impression in the potential buyer. Home staging is one area that increases the probability of creating a good first impression. Don’t spend countless dollars in attracting potential buyers to see your property just have their first impression be a bad one.

Home staging is a relatively simple process that involves decorating a home with temporary furnishings intended to create a more inviting home. It is likely that you have walked into a home that just had a certain ambiance to it. The home felt inviting, comfortable, and undoubtedly, you gave the homeowners credit for having a sense of style. This is the atmosphere you want to create for potential buyers when they walk into the home you have for sale. When done right, proper home staging can not only create a good first impression, it can create that wow factor that leads to quick closings.

If you have doubts to your creative ability to properly stage a home, there is no shame in hiring a staging professional. Not only do these individuals have the skill set to properly stage a home, they undoubtedly will have creative ideas that will lead you to purchase items that are inexpensive, yet create the desired feel. Many of these items will be able to be used repeatedly in your real estate investing career.

There is always the option to narrow down your home staging to a room or two. If you go this route, make sure one of the rooms you stage is the first room that potential buyers will see. Your second room might be a bedroom, particularly a child’s room that can be done inexpensively, creatively, and help potential buyers visualize their own children growing up in that room.

The bottom line is that staging a home gives you a tremendous advantage over an empty house. In time, it might become your favorite part of the selling process. If you don’t find enjoyment in staging, then the quick sale results you get will be well worth the effort.

Landscaping

While staging a home can help create that positive first impression once inside, it doesn’t hurt to grab buyer’s attention on the way up to the front door. When done in combination with proper home staging, landscaping can help create that one-two punch that makes potential buyers want to buy your property. The effectiveness of this approach will quickly make you become a true believer in home presentation.

Perhaps the single biggest reason most real estate investors don’t invest in landscaping is their fear that it will cost too much. While naturally, you don’t want an overly green thumb to drive your costs overboard, there are numerous things you can do to increase the appeal of the outside of the home without sinking your budget. Simple use of colors, patterns, and a good design can create this presentation without breaking the bank. The proper placement of plants, creating a clean feel to the yard, and a touch of creativity are all relatively inexpensive and go a long way to achieving your objective.

Your overriding goal with your landscaping project is to create a presentation that is appealing to potential buyers. Extravagant features are not needed in order to achieve this goal. You are not attempting to create an elaborate design that will win a contest. Clean and simple is best if you don’t have experience in landscaping. Drive up to the house, get out, and pay attention to what you see on your walk to the front door. What sticks out? What feel empty? What are your impressions?

Much like home staging, there is definitely an artistic element to landscaping. Your own creativity and taste can make a big difference in your landscaping efforts. If you don’t feel comfortable, and don’t have someone that is close to you willing to help, don’t be afraid to hire a landscaping company to create a design for you, or give you a quote that can help you achieve want you desire.

Both landscaping and home staging are avoided because many investors don’t want to put those extra dollars into home presentation. This is beneficial to every real estate investor that is willing to spend the little extra time and money, as their homes will stand out, and simply are more appealing to the average buyer.

Source: http://www.richdadeducationblog.com/2012/01/presenting_your_property_stagi.php#more