Selling September 4, 2020

10 Tips To Stage Your Home to Sell

Staging your home is a way to get it ready to be seen by buyers to make them fall in love.  It is an easy way to increase the likelihood of your home selling quickly.  Staging is an effective method to get it closer to the standards and expectations people have about homes. 

 

First of all, What is home staging? What does home staging mean? Home staging is the process of furnishing and preparing a home for sale on the real estate market. It’s as simple as that, but the process may not be quite as simple. Here are 10 ways that you can stage your house to make it ready to sell. 

 

Deep Clean 

It should be no surprise that you need to clean your house before you try to sell it. Going through and cleaning your house from top to bottom will enhance the appearance of your home. It will send the message to the buyer that the house they are buying has been cared for and loved. 

De-Clutter 

When you declutter your home it shows how much potential space is really in the home. Cleaning out cabinets and organizing your closets will allow the buyer to see enough space for their own belongings. Creating space provides more room for buyers to imagine their own lives in the home. It will also give your home a cleaner look, having knickknacks and piled cabinets can distract the buyer from what is really there. 

 

Define Your Rooms

When you are staging your furniture, make sure each room has a purpose. By giving each room a specific function you can allow the buyer to see the full potential of the square footage your home provides. They do not have to use the room just like you did, but this allows them to imagine how they will lay it out if they do buy it.

Lighting 

When showing your home take advantage of the natural lighting you have. Make sure you open all of the blinds and curtains to really let your home shine. You should also use the lighting fixtures in your home to your advantage. If your fixtures seem outdated or are broken, replace them for a quick and cost-effective boost to your home’s appeal. 

De-personalize 

Your home is an extension of your personality in many ways. Making sure your house has character is what makes it your home, but when it comes to staging your house for sale you want to take away some of that personality. Taking down family photos and other personal belongings allows the buyer to picture the home as a blank canvas that they can make their own

Re-organize 

Re-organizing the furniture in your home can help you adjust the flow of the spaces you want to highlight. When re-organizing furniture, it is best to focus on the main living space of the house. For example, you want to create a simple and easy flow between the kitchen, living, and dining areas so buyers don’t have to navigate through a maze of furniture.

Paint 

Adding a fresh coat of paint to your house before you sell it can be a huge boost in buyer appeal. It will make the house feel much newer, even if it’s a classic Tudor built in the early 1900s. If you have wallpaper, taking it down and adding a fresh coat of neutral paint can be great. Most buyers will want to change it anyway, so doing this can let them see there is one less step to making the house their own.

Flooring 

Dirty floors are never something a buyer is dying to have when they are looking for their new home.  Doing a deep clean of areas with carpet can be a great way to remove unknown odors and stains to give these areas a refresh. While changing flooring can be expensive, it can drastically change the feeling and appearance of your home, especially from a buyer’s perspective. Adding hardwood to the living spaces of your home is appealing to a majority, and it provides a neutral base, adding to the metaphor of a new home as a blank canvas. 

Remove Signs of Pets

While you may have familiarized yourself with the scent and constant presence of your furry friends, buyers have not. Walking into a home with a strong pet odor could easily throw off potential buyers. Plus, having pet hair around can make your home seem dirty, even when it’s clean.  A deep clean will help with reducing pet odors, hair, and dander. You may also want to move pet items such as dog bowls or litter boxes into the garage prior to a showing and take your furry friends elsewhere. 

Add Decor

If you have a lot of neutral spaces in your home, go ahead and add some decor with a few splashes of color to highlight the rooms. Little spots of color around your home can really make it stand out, and it is appealing to the eye of those who will be walking through your home.

While this may seem like a lot, these home staging tips can make your life a lot easier when selling your home. With the combination of these tips and help from a trusted Windermere Real Estate Agent at your side, you can get your house ready to go to market in no time.