Selling your home can be a tedious process. People wandering through the house at inconvenient times. Always keep the house clean. General interruption of your family schedule. Most people who have ever tried to sell a house will agree that the faster you can sell it, the better!
An important aspect of making your home attractive to buyers is that the buyer can envision themselves living in the home. This home staging is done by professionals that your real estate agent will help you hire. Staging a home can bring you a much higher sales price. A home staging professional can be hired to tour your home and instruct you on how to make the changes that will increase the marketability of your home. If you hire a set designer, always make sure that the set designer you hire is accredited.
Now, you may be thinking that you just redecorated, so your house must be perfect, but organizing a house is not redecorating. Redecorating a home focuses on the seller and their personality. The staging focuses on the buyer. It provides the current home owner with the knowledge to rearrange furniture, pictures, accessories, etc. in the best possible way to improve the function, appearance and balance of the rooms.
Sellers are attached to their homes and may not realize that their treasured keepsakes can seem like a mess to someone outside of the family. Many times, sellers don’t want to keep their family things to look at, and this can really affect the sale of your home. Real estate agents often hire a broker as part of the sales package because they may feel uncomfortable revealing to the seller that their house needs work and avoid upsetting them.
A staging professional works things from the buyers perspective to help the buyer see themselves and their belongings fit into the home they are viewing. They do this by rearranging the home to appeal to a broad buyer base. Stagers can be expensive, so if you want to go it alone, follow the tips below.
The first thing you should do is clear your house. You will have to try to look at your house with new eyes, many times we are so used to clutter that we block it! Go through each room and remove any clutter you see. Arrange toys in decorative boxes that are tucked away in a storage room (perhaps a basement storage room). You can always check them out again when you don’t have any visits booked. Bookshelves should be clean and attractive interspersed with some decorations. Closets need to be cleaned so that only clothes are visible. Remove storage at the top and bottom of the cabinets. Put out-of-season clothing in storage. In fact, put any clutter you’ve found in the storage room, too. You have to move anyway and you’ll have to pack less later when you move!
Lighting is important, so make sure rooms are well lit, provide good ambient lighting with lamps, and avoid bright, glaring fluorescent lights. The lobby provides the buyer with the first impression. It must be clean, tidy, bright and welcoming. If any room is boring, light it with higher wattage bulbs in the lamps.
You want the buyer to imagine living in the house, so you should remove all your personal photos and replace them with prints or other decorations. You want the buyer to focus on his home, not his personal life. This can be distracting.
A new coat of paint is mandatory. Paint your house a neutral color, but don’t make it too boring. Tans, sages, and beige are good colors. You can add some interest with colorful accessories, pillows, rugs, candles, etc.
The bathrooms must be sparkling! Counters must be cleared with no visible personal items. The grout on the bathtub tiles should be clean and the shower curtains and glass shower doors should be free of mold. Hang fluffy, colorful towels on towel racks. Put decorative soaps in cute containers. Buy a new shower curtain and floor mat.
The kitchen is a key selling point in your home and it should be immaculate. Remove all notes, magnets, etc. from the front of the refrigerator. Keep counter space clean and clear of all items. Clean under sinks and organize pantry and cabinets. Paint outdated cabinets a neutral color and put modern new knobs on the doors for a fresh look. Dishes on the floor for pet food must be removed during a showing.
Make your furniture look cozy, but don’t put too much in one room. Leave space between pieces and remove nicks. Your most attractive piece of furniture should be placed on the wall you see when you enter a room, if possible. Store all your CDs and videos out of sight. Hang pictures at eye level or in groups of geometric shapes. Group the accessories in odd numbers (one, three or five). Fireplace mantels should be depersonalized by removing images. A flower arrangement, mantel clock, or piece of art would be appropriate here.
Curb appeal is important and buyers’ first impression of your home will be from the outside. Garages and front and back yards should be well cleaned and trimmed. Put away all toys that are lying around in the yard. Plant flowers or shrubs in the garden for a welcoming effect. Prune any bushes you already have. Clean the pool if you have one. The lawn needs to be cut and watered to give the house a well-groomed look. A coat of paint may also be required on the exterior of the home.
When someone comes for a visit, make sure the house is spotless. Turn on table lamps for mood lighting. Play soft music to set the mood. Spray some air freshener before hand to give the house a nice smell, not too much or it could look like you’re masking a scent! Try putting some vases of fresh flowers on the tables for added appeal.
Not everyone can afford a stage, but it’s well worth the money and could pay for itself and more with a higher asking price.
