Staging Your Home to Sell

 

Every home seller wants to ensure they get top dollar for their home and get those offers rolling in quickly. Properly preparing or “staging” your house before you place it on the market can help get that sold sign up quickly. You will probably see the most traffic through the home in the first few weeks of your listing. Be sure to follow these steps before you place your house on the market.

Clean thoroughly - Your house will need to be spotless – both inside and outside. Potential buyers will be turned off by dishes in the sink, a smelly litter box or dusty furniture. You should plan to have your carpet professionally cleaned to remove smells that linger. Remember, you want to create a positive lasting impression. Clean your windows inside and out. Wipe down floor molding, clean counter tops, replace moldy or aged caulking and thoroughly clean your garage. If this seems like too much work, hire a housecleaning service to help. You should also consider having them return weekly while the house is on the market. The cost you pay to hire a housecleaning service should be made up easily by increased offers amounts received on a properly staged home.

Remove clutter - To ensure your house looks as spacious as possible you will need to remove clutter and excess furniture. Tackle one room at time. Work through every closet, drawer and cabinet of each room in the house. Sort your items into three groupings: things that must stay in the room out of necessity, things you want to keep but can keep in storage and things that can be thrown away. Keep in mind as you de-clutter, the goal is make your home look as roomy as possible. Potential buyers will look into closets, cabinets and even drawers as they walk through your home. For some additional decluttering tips check out this guide the DeClutter Your Home Fast guide.

Remove excess furniture - Leave only those furniture items that are necessary and those items that reflect the purpose of the room. Rent a storage facility so your excess clutter and furniture can be taken offsite. If furniture impedes a pathway, take it to storage.Resist storing things in your garage to save money. You will need to remove clutter from the garage as well so it looks as spacious as the rest of your home.

Neutral Colors - Many potential buyers will be turned off by bold paint and carpet colors. As a potential home buyer walks through your house, they will try to visualize how it will look with their furniture in the home. This may be hard to visualize if your color scheme clashes with their items. Think neutral and warm to appeal to the widest audience. Repaint, strip wallpaper or remove paneling that does not fit this neutral definition. Carpet that is not neutral in color or is highly worn should be replaced. You can replace with an inexpensive carpet, but carpet should be replaced if the color is not neutral or is worn to a point of hurting the resell value of the home. Once the walls and carpeting are neutral colors, you can add back some color and style with various accents and decorations.

Accentuate Key Features - Take advantage of unique features of your home. If you have beautiful hardwood floors, don’t hide them with a large area rug. Removing the rug and polishing the hardwood floor will show off this key element of your home. For fireplaces, be sure to thoroughly clean the inside of the fireplace and spruce up the mantel with small topiaries or other decorative accents. Take advantage of other key features of your home and accentuate them so they become a focal point of the room.

Curb Appeal - After tackling the inside of your home, you need to thoroughly clean the outside and landscaping of your home as well. First impressions are lasting. Potential buyers will gain their first impression of your home as they drive up for a showing. You want positive curb appeal. Paint the exterior of your home and window trim if needed. Trim your bushes and trees. Mow and edge your yard weekly while the house is on the market. Remove leaves and weeds from your flowerbeds. Adding fresh flowers and new mulch will help inprove curb appeal.

Prepare for the Showings - After you have staged your house and listed it in on the market, be ready for the showings and take steps to enhance the experience for the potential buyers. Strategically place air fresheners throughout the house, but use them in moderation. Plan to leave the house for every showing. Walk each room just before you leave and pick up any stray items the kids left behind. Be sure to take your pets away with you. A barking dog can be a significant turn off to a potential buyer. Empty all trash cans and turn on all lights before you leave. Be patient and hang in there. Showings can be a significant interruption and the effort it takes to keep your house spotless may seem overwhelming.

Properly staging your home can be a tremendous amount of work especially if you have put of routine home maintenance. Be sure to start the process well in advance of listing your home. Seek help from family, friends and outside cleaning services. Once you've finished these steps, have your realtor walk the home and provide any last minute suggestions. In the end, your efforts will pay off. A properly staged home will sell faster and bring in better offers.

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