Selling your home can be a tedious process. People wandering around the house at inconvenient times. Always keep the house clean. General disruption 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 imagine themselves living in the home. This home staging is softened by professionals that your real estate agent will help you hire. Staging a home can bring you a much higher asking price. A home staging professional can be hired to tour your home and show you how to make the changes that will increase your home’s marketability. If you hire a set designer, always make sure the set designer you hire is licensed.
Now, you may be thinking that you just redecorated, so your house must be perfect, but organizing a house is not redecorating it. Redecorating a home focuses on the seller and the seller’s personality. The staging focuses on the buyer. Provides the current homeowner 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 may seem like a mess to someone outside of the family. A lot of times, sellers don’t want to put their family stuff away for viewing, and this can really affect the sale of your home. Real estate agents often hire a handler as part of the sales package because they may feel uncomfortable revealing to the seller that their home 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 house to appeal to a broad base of buyers. 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 out! Go through each room and remove any clutter you see. Organize toys in decorative boxes that are hidden in a storage room (perhaps a basement storage room). You can always take them out again when you don’t have any appointments booked. The bookcases should be clean and attractive interspersed with some decorations. Closets should be cleaned so only clothes are showing. Remove storage at top and bottom of cabinets. Put out-of-season clothes in storage. In fact, put any clutter you’ve found in storage, 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, glare fluorescent lights. The lobby provides the buyer with the first impression. It should be clean, neat, bright and welcoming. If any room is dull, light it up with higher wattage bulbs in the lamps.
You want the buyer to imagine themselves living in the house, so remove all of their personal photos and replace them with prints or other decorations. He wants the buyer to focus on his house, 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 beiges are good colors. You can add some interest with colorful accessories, pillows, rugs, candles, etc.
Bathrooms must be sparkling! Counters must be clear with no visible personal items. The tub tile grout should be clean and the shower curtains and glass shower doors should be free of mold. Hang colorful, fluffy towels on towel racks. Place 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 needs to be spotless. 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 add modern new doorknobs for a fresh look. Pet food dishes on the floor should be removed during a show.
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. Keep 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, a mantel clock, or a 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 patios should be cleaned and trimmed well. Put away all the toys that are lying around in the yard. Plant flowers or shrubs in the garden for a cozy effect. Plum any bushes you already have. Clean the pool if you have one. The lawn needs to be mowed and watered to give the house a well-groomed look. A coat of paint may also be required on the exterior of the house.
When someone comes for a visit, make sure the house is spotless. Turn on table lamps for ambient lighting. Play soft music to create atmosphere. Spray some air freshener before hand to give the house a nice smell – not too much or it might seem like you’re hiding a smell! Try putting some vases of fresh flowers on the tables for added curb appeal.
Not everyone can afford a stage, but it’s worth the money and could pay for itself and more with a higher asking price.