Do you really need to stage your home to sell it? The answer is yes! What is staging anyways and why do it? Staging is creating a home that anyone can walk into and picture themselves living there. It allows the home to be shown in the most pleasing way. Staging ultimately brings more people to look at your home, which leads to more offers. The following are the top 10 Staging Secrets to sell your home and you need to know them.
1. Clutter be gone; 1st and foremost the most important aspect of staging is getting rid of the Clutter. Sounds a little overwhelming I know, so do one room at a time. Set up three boxes labeled Keep, Trash, and Donate. If you have a lot of things that you aren’t willing to get rid of then you may need to consider getting a storage unit. You want potential homeowners to be able to picture themselves in the home not you or your family, so remove the 15 picture frames sitting on the table and consider updating your wall hangings.
2. Now that the stuff has been cleared out let’s take a look at the Furniture; Remember less is more and that storage unit may come in handy again. Make sure the walk ways are clear, over sized furniture will just make the room seem that much smaller. If the furniture is old consider polishing it and maybe have the sofa cleaned. The more it looks like you take care of your things to more the potential home buyer is going to believe you took care of the house. If that doesn’t cut it consider renting some new updated furniture.
3. Re-purpose Rooms; Each room should have a clearly defined purpose. Consider making that junk room a yoga room with a rubbermat, dim lighting, soft music and relaxed environment, or turn it into an office. Maybe buy, rent or borrow inexpensive furniture to make this room something special. This home staging secret will sell your home faster because the new owners will be able to visually see the space in use.
4. Don’t forget the Closets; After you’ve purged every room, go back and do it again. Pay special attention to the closets. They shouldn’t be stuffed, but organized and neat.
5. Lighting; make sure you have three types of lighting: ambient (general / overhead), task (for reading), accent (table and wall). Lighting will draw potential home owners into visualizing where they will snuggle up with a good book, cook a yummy thanksgiving meal and give peaceful feelings when they walk into specific rooms.
6. Create Illusions; increase the overall space of the room by painting it the same color as an adjoining room, it makes the room feel larger. Choose neutral colors and don’t for get the baseboard, molding and trim.
7. Update your decor! Create serene bedrooms by changing out your comforters, throw blanket and pillows with clean sophisticated colors. This is an inexpensive way to update your bedrooms. Also consider the bathroom towels, shower curtains and window coverings. Keep the counter tops clear of toiletries.
8. Keep the kitchen tidy; Again nothing excessive should be left on the counter tops. Keep all appliances wiped off and free of smell. We don’t want the Curry dish from last night lingering. Good idea to have something that smells like fresh baked goods. For a clean and peaceful smell, consider using into essential oils. Using a diffuser in different rooms of the house will bring feelings of comfort. Lavender would be a relaxing scent in the bedrooms, lemon would be refreshing in the bathrooms and kitchen. Out of the top 10 staging secrets to selling your home, this one should be number one! The kitchen sells the house. If your kitchen is outdated, simple renovations will increase your home’s value and your profit.
9. Pets; we all love them but don’t want to smell them! Make sure if you have pets that you keep them clean. Constant vacuuming is a must. Consider buying Fido a new pet bed that matches your new decor. Try not to leave their food bowls out to avoid any smell or unsightly dishes.
10. Don’t overdo the Holiday decorations; Had to put this in here, because we are nudging up to the holiday season. Halloween; avoid blood, dead bodies, and clowns…..Thanksgiving stick with simple and classic; one reef on the door with a couple of pumpkins on the ground will do perfectly……Christmas; maybe don’t compete in this years best decorations competition. Again, simple is best; avoid santa and reindeer hanging off the roof, multiple yard statues, and on the inside tone it down too. Less is More.
We hope these staging tips will help you sell your home and you might even enjoy the less is more environment. If you know someone you believe would find these tips useful, please share on social media.
