For many elderly individuals, there comes a time when it makes sense to move out of a primary residence and into an assisted living facility. And in order to do so, selling the home becomes a priority. If your parent is preparing to make this transition, consider helping them stage their home prior to listing.
Why Stage a Home?
According to this blog post from The Parke Assisted Living, preparing a parent’s house for a successful home sale requires a very strategic approach. Home staging is one of the more valuable investments.
Within the context of this article, we’re using the term “staging” to mean proactive and purposeful home design and optimization with the intention of selling a home quickly and for maximum value. This can be done professionally, by hiring a home stager, or on your own, by making a few calculated decisions and putting in the work.
Regardless of which option you choose, there are a few benefits attached to staging, particularly when the home belongs to an elderly individual who has been in the property for a few years (or decades).
Staging a home simplifies
It’s easy for clutter to build up over the years. This is especially common with elderly individuals who may not have the physical means to keep their house tidy and/or get rid of larger items that they no longer want or need. Staging allows you to remove items and deliver a simplified aesthetic appeal that resonates with prospective buyers.
Staging a home modernizes
In many cases, stepping into an elderly person’s home is like walking into a time capsule. There’s nothing wrong with this, but it doesn’t help the sale of the home. Staging enables you to modernize the look and reach a wider selection of homebuyers.
Staging a home increases value
At the end of the day, it’s all about increasing the value of your property so that your elderly parent can get more cash for their property – cash that may pay for essential expenses like an assisted living facility, medical care, and miscellaneous retirement expenses.
When you meld each of these benefits together, it’s easy to understand the appeal of staging a property. In fact, choosing not to stage your parent’s home sort of feels like you’re doing it a disservice.
Home Staging for Senior Sellers
As you help your elderly parent stage their home for sale, here are a few considerations to keep in mind:
1. Declutter and Depersonalize
Family pictures might be special to you and your parent, but prospective buyers don’t care about them. In fact, they’d prefer to not to see a bunch of personal effects and mementos. (If the home is filled with pictures of your family, it makes it difficult for other buyers to imagine their own family in the house.) And this speaks to the larger point of decluttering and depersonalizing your parent’s home prior to listing.
Staging a home is all about making a property look lived-in, but still leaving room for buyers to imagine possibilities. One of the ways you do this is by eliminating anything that distracts. Simple sells. And because you’re stripping out the clutter to focus on the essentials, you have to be smart about the items that you do choose.
2. Apply Fresh Paint
A fresh paint job can have an amazing (and cost-effect) impact on the aesthetic appeal of a home. Do away with any bright tones and/or dark colors. A light, neutral color scheme will appeal to everyone. Think about whites, grays, beiges, and other safe tones.
As a bonus, applying fresh paint gives the home that “new house” smell that buyers find attractive. And it’s for this reason that you should consider painting just two or three days prior to placing the property on the market.
3. Hire the Professionals
You’re a busy person. If home staging feels like “just another thing” on your to-do list, that’s totally understandable. But don’t ignore this option simply because you lack the time. Consider hiring a professional home staging professional. It almost always generates a positive ROI.
Maximize the Return
You don’t stage a home for the fun of it. You stage a home in order to sell a house quicker and for a higher price. And if you follow the tips and suggestions outlined in this article, you should be able to do just that. However, it’s important to remember that this is your parent’s home. Always involve them in the process and listen to their desires. Voice your opinions, but don’t commandeer the situation. You’re there to assist in any way possible.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
