These home staging tips cover tasks you can easily do yourself at minimal cost, or that can be done with the help of a professional Home Stager. With a bit of work and a right mindset, you’ll be on your way to staging your house and reaping the benefits of your efforts at the sale time.
Before you do anything, you have to stop thinking of your house as a HOME and start thinking about it as an investment. Probably the most important investment you have made so far, you want to get the largest possible return on it, so you can move on to bigger and better things, right?
With less time and more technology available to almost anyone, chances are that potential buyers are first searching the Internet for the properties they might be interested in. You need to have the best possible photos available on the Internet, as that “first look” might determine whether the prospects will want to visit your property or will jump over it. These photos have to impress and generate an emotional desire from the potential buyer to see the property “live”. If you don’t have pictures that stand out from the others, you are probably missing out on dozens, if not hundreds of potential buyers.
Curb appeal (or, lack of thereof) can deter a visitor from wanting to go in – have you ever driven by a house for sale, disliking it from the outside and leaving without even giving it a chance? Avoid this situation happening to you:
Remember, the buyers want to see space, above anything else. You want the visitors to focus on the house and not on your stuff. A cluttered house gives the impression of being poorly maintained and looks smaller than it really is. Go through the house, room by room, and take everything out but the essentials – decide what to throw out, what to donate and what to put in storage. Some areas to pay particular attention to:
If you are not able or willing to do it yourself, hire a professional. We recommend that you walk through each room and make two lists – one list for cleaning and the other for fixing. Fixing small but visible things is important. Chipped paint, loose or missing tiles, broken door handle – all the little things you never had time to fix – unfortunately, they can become a BIG turnoff for a potential buyer.
Painting is the cheapest way to enhance a room. Be as objective as possible and decide which rooms (if any) could use a fresh coat of paint. Repaint main rooms (entrance, living room, dining room, kitchen, master bedroom) in fresh, neutral colors.
Make sure all your furniture, light fixtures and accessories look contemporary. Changing the counter top and/or cabinet handles in the kitchen can make a huge difference without having to remodel it. Simple things such as a new bed ensemble, a few decorative pillows and two nice table lamps will transform a bedroom.
The idea is to make the house attractive to as many potential buyers as possible. We recommend to make the house as neutral as possible by taking off and storing any religious or political symbols, diplomas, collections and family photos – they distract from what you are selling – a property and not a home.
A bright house is an attractive house. Open all the blinds/curtains and make sure there is sufficient light in every room, add fixtures, stand up or table lamps.
Space management optimization and proper furniture and accessories placement is essential. It will give a home a warm and appealing look and feel.
Although these tips can be done yourself, consider hiring a professional Home Stager for more effective results. Whether you need help with a few home staging tips, or would like to be put in touch with one of our recommended professional Home Stagers, we would love to help. Contact us today!
