The real estate market is competitive. Selling your home quickly and for top-dollar requires forethought and effort. You can no longer just stick a “for sale” sign in your front yard and expect the offers to start rolling in. Instead, it is essential to “stage” your home.
Staging involves cleaning, de-cluttering, and de-personalizing your home, so it appeals to the greatest number of potential buyers. Unlike decorating, staging involves setting up your home to entice the masses. It is not an expression of style; it is done to create a neutral canvas that still makes sense to a broad range of home buyers.
Some tips and reminders:
- Pay Attention to Curb Appeal– To get buyers inside, your home needs to be presentable from the outside. Unfortunately, people still do judge a book by its cover. Poor maintenance and upkeep on the outside leads people to believe that important things may have been neglected on the inside. If your budget is small, a mowed lawn and trimmed bushes go a long way.
- De-Personalize Your Home– Buying a new house is an emotional process. Prospective buyers need to see themselves living in your home. To allow this process to take place, you need to remove personal items, such as photos and religious and political artifacts. One small thing can have buyers wondering who currently lives in the house instead of picturing themselves living there.
- De-Clutter to Maximize Space– Professional home stagers often completely remove half of the owner’s furnishings. You should leave just enough furniture in each room to show off the room’s purpose. Counters should be clean, and shelves should be mostly cleared. If you don’t have a new home purchased and in your possession, storage units are an affordable, great way to go. Plus, the de-cluttering will just give you a jumpstart on the inevitable packing that will occur once your home sells.
- Take Care of Minor Repairs and Clean– Replace all the simple, inexpensive things that might turn buyers away, such as cracked floors, broken doors, and faucet leaks. Patch holes, and consider painting the walls neutral colors. A little paint, especially in large rooms, can make all the difference. After the repairs are complete, thoroughly clean your house. Windows should be washed inside and out, and stale-smelling areas should be aired out. If it is in your budget, think about hiring a professional cleaning crew.
Staging your home requires some extra effort, but the pay-off should make up for it in the end. If you have more ideas and/or comments on home staging, share them with us on Facebook.
