Why You Need To Get Rid Of Personal Items When Staging Your Lakeway Home

Lakeway is a vibrant city along the south shore of Lake Travis in the picturesque hill country of Travis County, Texas. Lakeway is situated about 25 miles west of downtown Austin and is listed as "one of the best places to live in Texas" by Niche.com. A luxury resort community well known for its award-winning golf courses, over 100 acres of award-winning parks and trails, 500 acres of lush greenbelts, opulent hotels and spas, fine dining, and renowned school systems. Home to professionals, families, and retirees alike, "lake life" at Lakeway draws new residents with its pristine landscapes, 65 miles of lakeside space, and hundreds of recreational activities, from hiking and tennis to fishing and scuba diving.

According to the official Lakeway, Texas homepage, "well-managed growth is the hallmark of this upscale lakeside community." The community's famous "lake life" lifestyle offers residents various recreational, entertainment, business, and cultural opportunities, making it the ideal place to live, work, and play. Niche.com rates Lakeway as 17th in Texas as one of the best places to retire and 29th as the suburb with the best public schools. In addition, the city offers numerous opportunities to explore the outdoors with its many parks and green spaces, all while enjoying the comforts and convenience of city life.

Movoto.com shows 194 active home listings in Lakeway, averaging 92 days on the market. The median house price ranges from $481K on niche.com to $949K on movoto.com. Again, single-family homes are the best sellers, with Lakeway remaining a seller's market. Homes for sale in Lakeway range in price from around $400K to $2.4M and above.

Even though it's a seller's market, it is important to stage your home correctly to attract the most potential buyers to your listing. The National Association of Realtors states that "staging your home is about showcasing and engaging" and creating a "move-in ready home that creates an emotional connection to the buyer." According to their website, 82% of real estate agents stated that staging helped their clients to visualize the property as their potential home.

Of course, you will want to start bringing attention to your home by enriching its curb appeal, updating the kitchen and bathrooms, minimizing negative aspects and accentuating positive elements, adding a splash of paint, and making your home energy efficient. But, while those are great places to start, some often overlooked aspects of staging a home are as follows:

While photos, kids' artwork, diplomas, and personal collections give your home a sense of family and ownership, prospective buyers want a clean slate. They want a home they can envision themselves living in, and seeing your personal items breaks the spell. So consider packing those precious items and displaying more generic decorative prints and knick-knacks.

We all love our pets, but prospective homebuyers may be allergic or indifferent toward pets. HGTV.com states that you should thoroughly clean for pet hair and dander, hide all toys, crates, and bowls, and be sure that your pet is out of the home when the buyer is viewing it.

If you're overwhelmed by the time and effort put into having your home "showcase ready" daily, consider the convenience of professional photography. Taking the time to have your home professionally staged and photographed (especially with today's 3D photography) can lead to creating a virtual tour of your home. Virtual tours will significantly reduce the number of in-person showings, as many buyers will only set up viewings of homes they are genuinely interested in from the virtual tour. Scheduling tours for interested buyers will be far easier than having to leave your house every week for open-house showings.

When staging your home to sell, you'll want to "erase" all signs that you live there. Removing toothbrushes, hairbrushes, make-up, toiletries, shampoos and soaps, laundry baskets, and dirty dishes is essential. Consider investing in colorful boxes that can be stacked on your bathroom counter or in a cabinet to keep those personal items handy but out of the way.

SmartBox Moving and Storage suggests storing extra furniture and key personal pieces. However, too much furniture in a room will give the impression that your home is smaller than it is. Instead, arrange your furniture in a way that compliments your home's unique architecture and brings attention to light, color, and intelligent use of space.

Many homes have artwork or sculptures relating to their family name. According to homego.com, family name décor is typical in many homes. While removing your photos and other memorabilia, be sure to include the removal of any signage relating to your family name.

Whether you're a plant enthusiast, a talented musician, or an avid artist, you will want to hide all signs of hobbies that could detract from your home. Consider leaving more oversized items in place (large potted plants, piano) but be sure they are in perfect condition. All other items should be moved to storage.

When staging your home, you want to create a welcoming vibe. You will have to remove most of the items that make your home "yours." According to cyberhomes.com, if any closets in your home are overfilled or messy, you will want to clear them out and have them well-organized. Consider renting a storage unit for those items not necessary to everyday living and decorative containers for things that you will need to keep in your home but need to remain out of sight. Decluttering your home and swapping interesting artwork, sculptures, clocks, and scented candles for any items that give insight into your personal views will help buyers base their impression of your home on the house itself, not the decorations within.

An experienced realtor can give you valuable advice on the proper staging of your home. They have worked with all kinds of situations and are sure to have suggestions for making your home staging work for you. So when you're ready to sell your luxury Lakeway, TX real estate, contact expert realtor Malana Rudnicki for all your real estate needs!