When you’re selling in the Kelowna real estate market, consider some of the evolved home staging tips to help your home sell faster.

In just a minute and a half, statistics say, a potential homebuyer decides whether they feel like could drop their bags and move in, or if they want to move on to the next listing. Over the years, our Kelowna realtors have found while online tools can bring buyers to your listing, what you need for great photos and the kind of successful viewings that seal deals, is some home staging.

But not the original variety of staging that left spaces feeling like sterile store aisles. We’re talking about new-school staging in 2015, for real people who want a home and a lifestyle.

If you’re thinking about putting your home up for sale, today’s staging techniques will help you compete in the ever-active Kelowna real estate market, and that often translates to fewer days on the market and sometimes higher prices.

Whether you’re outsourcing home staging to a professional, or you’re keen to do it yourself, here are some tips that will help your home become someone else’s.

1. Staging is a state of mind

The first rule of home staging, particularly for the sellers, is to remember that you need to let go of the space as “my home” and think of it as a property you want to sell. Detach and begin to pack. Only when you let go of it and show off your home’s best features will strangers begin to imagine themselves in the space, and that’s when the offers come in.

Homeowners often turn to professional Home Staging companies or even just advice from Kelowna realtors for this very reason—the objectivity needed to get rid of nick-nacks and well-loved throws to build a neutral nest that will appeal to your buyer.

2. Stage with your buyer in mind

Let’s say you have a beautiful condo in downtown Kelowna. Take a look at your neighbors in the elevator. Your buyer is apt to be people starting in their twenties and thirties, or people downgrading later in life. What does that group like and look for in a property? Stainless steel appliances? Contemporary furniture and art? Then infuse your Home Staging with that.

If you’re among the homeowners selling Kelowna real estate that boasts stunning lakefront views, your luxury property is more likely to attract people in mid-life looking for a second home or a pre-retirement home. You’re selling a lifestyle, and your space needs to reflect that with high-end everything and little touches  (from original artwork to statement plants) designed for entertaining and enjoying the good life (and those views!).

3. Don’t forget your yard

Imagine you’re in the backseat of your realtor’s car, making your way along Lakeshore Road into the thick of Upper Mission. The car stops. The home on the left has two cherry trees on either side of the front door, flanked by streams of begonias, hydrangeas, and decorative grasses. The house on the right has a lovely blue stone path and a green lawn. Which home are you drawn to?

First impressions count for everything. Remember when you’re considering Home Staging you need to include the impression your landscaping will make. To create a home that evokes warmth and permanency, add an array of trees of flowers that complement the style of your home.

When you’re ready to sell, what you need most are professionals committed to selling your property with all the tools available. Contact the experienced and award-winning Kelowna realtors at Quincy Vrecko & Associates.