Learn What Staging Your Home Means
Staging your home is simply doing the things that will present your home to potential buyers in a way that they will want to make it their home. Think of it as making your home visually appealing to potential buyers and showcasing its best assets. It can be as simple as cleaning and removing clutter or it can require more of an investment such as painting, landscaping and making minor repairs. Potential buyers do not want to see work that needs to be done upon moving in. If they see too many problems, they will pass on it altogether. Remember that the investment you make in staging your home will be far less costly than having to lower the price or keep it on the market for a longer period of time.
Staging your home should make a good first impression on potential buyers. Focus on the best feature of each room and how you can best accentuate that feature. You want the home buyer to walk in to your home and say, “I want to live here”.
Steps for staging your home:
Disassociate yourself with your home. This is of the first things you will have to do – let go of your emotional attachment. When you decide to sell your home, it becomes a product to be sold. If you want to sell it quickly and want the best price, you need to let go of emotional attachments and show it in its best light.
De-Personalize. You don’t want buyers to be distracted by your personal photos and family heirlooms. You want them to be able to imagine what their photos and furnishings will look like.
Remove the clutter. Clutter makes your house look smaller and messy. You want your potential buyers to believe there is room for all everything they own. Keep in mind that potential buyers are going to look in closets, cabinets, under sinks and in other any storage area that is available. Rent a storage unit if necessary and get the clutter out of the house. Clean everything off the kitchen counter to maximize visible counter space.
Clean out closets and cabinets. Make sure your closets and cabinets are neat. Straighten your dishes, your canned goods, shoes, hanging clothes, etc.
Make minor repairs. Patch holes and cracks, fix leaky faucets, fix leaky toilets, fix doors that don’t close properly. If you have bright colors on your walls, consider painting them a neutral color.
Clean, clean, clean! Make your house shine from top to bottom and from inside to outside. Pay special attention to kitchen and bathrooms. And deodorize! Odors are a no-no.
Give your house curb appeal. A lot of potential buyers will do a “ride by” and, if they don’t like the way the outside looks, they are not going to want to see the inside. Keep the yard raked and mowed, plant flowers or use potted plants around the yard. Keep bushes neat and trimmed.
Want to learn more? Read How To Prepare Your House For Sale by Elizabeth Weintraub and watch her video Preparing A House For Sale.