Want to sell your Naples home fast? Stage it, Southwest Florida experts say

Naples

Make your house look magazine-ready before putting it up for sale, says Naples Realtor Karly Carballea.

"Homes sell faster and for more money when staged. It helps buyers visualize themselves living there and creates an emotional attachment to the home," she said.

Working in local real estate since 2015, Carballea is also a certified home stager and helps clients freshen up their homes before opening the doors to potential buyers.

She offers her clients complimentary light staging, which involves de-cluttering their home and adding new decor. For sellers wanting a digital approach, Carballea provides virtual staging, which allows potential buyers to visualize how the space could look like online.

For a more comprehensive approach, local staging companies, like Naples Home Staging run by Ann Waters, stage vacant and furnished houses typically with the addition of new furnishings.

Before: Naples kitchen prior to being staged by Naples Realtor Karly Carballea. She removed the curtains and de-cluttered the counter tops to make the room more visually appealing.

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Why stage a home?

"Buyers make up their mind as to whether they like a home in about 10 seconds," Carballea said. "Home staging is about creating an ambiance and a positive experience."

Is the house clean? Is the room temperature just right?

It can be as simple as de-cluttering and repainting. Or it can require a more in-depth approach that involves hiding personal belongings; redecorating, and renting furniture and artwork.

Using the following tips, Carballea said, sellers can do their own staging to make their house more visually appealing to potential buyers:

Before and after of a bedroom lightly staged by Naples Realtor Karly Carballea. She opened up the blinds and added a newer comforter to make the room more visually appealing.

Self-staging tips for sellers

» De-clutter and clean your house. Clear counters and shelves of small appliances and kitchen or bathroom items. You want every room to look as spacious as possible. Also, remove any heavy window curtains. Let light in. It's just as important to clean the house from top to bottom. Hire a professional cleaning service if necessary.

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» Use your own decor or purchase a few items to spruce up the place inside and outside. Place flowers in the kitchen, replace your dirty door mat, and add a pop of color to a neutral sofa with a couple of throw pillows. A little goes a long way. If you're selling your home during the holidays, a touch of festive decor doesn't hurt.

» Repaint the home's exterior or interior if paint color is outdated. Neutral colors are best.

» Use candles and scent products sparingly. You don't want sellers to think you're trying to mask an odor.

Naples Realtor Karly Carballea poses for a photo. She helps clients lightly stage their homes before listing it.

When to get a stager involved

Ann Waters with Naples Home Staging said sellers should always consult with a professional.

"Most people can't see their home objectively," Waters said. "If there is an odor to their home, they're used to it. They've seen their furniture arranged the same way for a while so their mind isn't open to new possibilities."

Waters offers every client a consultation, free for vacant homes and $300-$600 for furnished homes, and as part of the consultation offers advice to make the house sell faster and for more money.

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According to the National Association of Realtors® 2017 profile of home staging, 77 percent of buyers' agents said that staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home. When it comes to which room is the most important to stage, the living room comes first followed by the master bedroom and kitchen.

Waters, who has 12 years of home staging experience and works on properties between Marco Island and Estero, said the goal of home staging is to make the house look younger and fresher.

"A lot of our homes here in Naples are dated. Sellers need to make the house look younger unless they're starting with something new," she said.

She typically advises clients to add modern light fixtures, remove heavy window treatments and hide most personal belongings.

"It's about simple, clean lines nowadays," Waters said. "The more you have in your home the less (potential buyers) see the home."

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