Selling your home can be a gargantuan effort, and there are many things you need to keep in mind. One of the most important things to remember when you are selling properties is to consider how the potential buyers will feel when they walk into the home. How will they feel by what they see greeting them? Is the home cluttered and full of your belongings? Does the home have any damage or literal writing on the wall from your kids? Do you have a dog?
When you are getting ready to show a piece of property, you have to think about all of these things and more when it comes to the staging of the property. We will examine the most important staging tips when selling your house, so you have a better chance of impressing those buyers who visit.
Remove Personal Items
When someone is coming into the home you are showing, they want to imagine what it might be like to live there. This is only possible when you have removed the personal items that you have all around the house. You should remove things such as photos of family and friends, drawings from your children, and décor items that show your personality.
This can be hard for some people to do because they feel those objects are a part of the home, and putting them away feels wrong. It truly is important though, and the home staging will be better for it. Don’t worry; you can put them out again after the house has been shown, and you will certainly put them up in your new place.
No More Clutter
Along the same lines as all of your personal items is clutter. Most homes today have clutter, even if you have become blind to it. Shoes pile in the entryway, bikes and toys all over the living room, an overabundance of books on the end tables… it seems there is no end to clutter.
Clear everything from the coffee tables and the countertops except for a couple of decorative items. In the kitchen, pack away all of the dishes except for one or two nice sets. The same should be done with your cookware, as well as the bathroom cabinets. Only keep a few pieces. This will look better, and you can be sure people are going to go through the cabinets when they visit the house.
Take all of the clutter that you have and find a place to put it out of the way while you are showing your home. In some cases, this might even mean a short-term storage space rental.
Consider Painting Inside and Out
You might also want to paint the home before it is shown. Fresh paint always looks good and can revitalize any room of the house, not to mention the exterior of the home. It is generally easy enough that you can do it on your own, as well.
In addition to painting the rooms, you might also want to paint some of your cabinets if you can’t replace them. After a fresh coat of paint on the cabinets, you can also buy some new hardware for it to update the look even further. This is also a low cost and low effort option that can make a difference in the staging.
Improve the Curb Appeal
Consider what people are going to see when they pull up outside of the house. Do you have a lot of toys or tools out in the front? That’s more clutter that you need to remove. You also need to think about your landscaping and make sure everything is trimmed and looking good. If you have cracks in the driveway or walkway, make sure you fix them.
After all, this is the first real impression people are going to get from the property. If they do not like what they see when they step out of their vehicle, they are going to sour on your property even before they step through the front door.
Better Lighting
One of the areas that often suffers during staging is the lighting. When you have proper lighting, it can improve the look of your living space. You can use multiple sources of lighting, as well as multipurpose fixtures. Using multipurpose fixtures means you can have focused as well as diffused lighting. Test out some new lamps and shades that go well with the décor and experiment with the types of lighting to find what looks best for your home.
In the kitchen, you might want to consider installing pendant lighting if you do not already have it. These lights will generally hang about three feet above the countertops.
Remember the Scents
When you are staging a home, scent is important. One of the tricks of the trade is to have the scent of baking cookies or bread in the house when people arrive. This is a great scent that is inviting and warm. However, you can utilize other scents, as well, such as some nice candles. Just make sure you do not overdo it with the scents.
In addition, you have to consider some of the scents your home currently has that you might not even realize. If you have a dog, no matter how clean your dog might be, their scent will be in the home. Always deodorize your home while you are staging.
Professional Cleaning
In addition to getting rid of odors, you need to get rid of all of the dirt, grit, and grime, as well. While your home might already be clean, you can always do more to get it into perfect shape. If you do not have the time or energy to do this on your own, you will want to consider working with a professional cleaning company. They can come in for a day and make sure everything is ready to go.
Staging the home properly takes some work, but the efforts are well worth it. You can speak with your real estate agent to learn even more tips about properly staging your home.