Your home is one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make. It involves time and money. Eventually, there will be a time when you want to collect on that investment by selling your home. You may be moving out of the area or into a larger home. In any case, this home no longer suits your needs or lifestyle and will be going on the market. The Jacksonville Beach FL real estate market for resale homes has picked up tremendously in the past few years.

This has both positive and negative results. On the positive side, buyers are willing to paying market rates for resale homes. On the downside, everyone who has decided to wait are now jumping in to list their home. If you put your home for up for sale in Jacksonville Beach, FL, today, you will be entering a healthy market. In order to compete for a quick sale at the maximum sale price, you’ll want to consider hiring a professional home stager and Realtor, like Melissa Marro.

The Jacksonville Beach FL market has shifted, but so have buyer’s desires

“The Jacksonville Beach market has shifted to a seller’s market. Home prices are going up. May 2013 statistics from NEFAR show that homes selling over list price have risen 91% with more than one in four Jacksonville Beach home now selling for more than list price.” Says Marro. “In order to create a bidding war, the home has to be properly presented online and in person.”

Staging is all about first impressions and enhancing the potential of your home in a buyers mind. There is a lot of psychology that goes into staging a home for resale, but the basic idea behind staging is to show off your home in a way that is most appealing to a potential buyer. While you lived in the home, it was meant to be appealing to you, but now that you are selling, it needs to appeal to them. While home staging might take a few hundred, sometimes a few thousand, dollars to do right, professional home staging does tend to bring in an extra few thousand dollars, providing a tidy return on your investment. Below are a few hints and tips to prepare your home for market.

Show home buyers what they want to see

Open floor plans are the dream spaces for today’s buyer. Even if your home does not have an open floor plan you can help create space. Hiring a professional home stager will help you understand what furniture pieces should be removed from the home and placed in storage. The stager will help you pull together a model home look using what you already have, possibly with a few additions. The goal is to control the buyer’s eye through the home so that potential buyers notice all of the features of the home, while minimizing any less desirable ones. Your professional home stager will make the home feel warm and inviting to buyers, helping them emotionally connect with the home. A stager may also have good tips and tricks to easily achieving looks seen on Pinterest and Houzz, particularly in closets and storage areas, adding even more perceived value.

First Impressions happen online, will you be at your best?

Over 95% of today’s home buyers do a search online before even picking an agent. They then pick out which houses to look at in person from the photos on real estate websites. “The first two weeks online are the most critical. This is when homes make it or break it.” Marro advises. Before you put your home online, it needs to be properly prepared (home staging) then photographed, and then marketed. The order will maximize your exposure and bring you the best deals.”

Getting ready for the big event. The order is everything.

Consider that you are preparing for another large event – a big party, a wedding, or holiday function. Would you take a photo without changing into your best outfit? Would you let people come in and eat just anytime? Would you put on that little black dress before you shower, put your makeup on, or shave your legs? Of course not! The same is true for selling your home.

There is always an order for maximum efficiency. In this case to properly prepare your home for market in 2013, you should contact a professional home stager to get a list of recommendations and create a plan of attack. Next you should do the work in the plan. Then have the home professionally staged and photographed. Finally, your home is ready to be listed online (after the photographs are ready.)

If you are ready to buy a new home, like those offered by builder Glenn Layton Homes, then you will need to sell your home fast. Follow the suggestions listed here, and call Melissa Marro [904-466-2093] for a free no-obligation home staging consultation if you are selling in the Jacksonville area.

This post was written by Glenn Layton Homes