You may wonder if the effort of staging your home is worth it. Statistics show that staged homes on average sell faster and for more money. There is a lot of truth to the adage, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”. Make sure your home is staged in a way that buyers will leave their tour feeling great about your house.
Create Good First Impressions
Buyers often form their opinions of the home from their first drive-by, so make sure their first opinion is positive. If you have a front sidewalk, power wash the gutter and be sure to remove any weeds coming up through the cracks. Make sure that your lawn is well manicured. Fresh cut grass and neatly trimmed edges will build a feeling of cleanliness in buyers. You may even consider turning on your sprinklers for 15 minutes to enrich your lush green lawn.
A Home Staging Must: Deep Clean
Doing a deep and thorough cleaning is as important as it is obvious. This is the easiest way to ensure prospective buyers have a good experience as they tour your home. From washing windows inside and out, to wiping floor boards, every detail matters. You may want to steam clean your carpets or refinish hardwood floors to help your home put its best foot forward.
Stow Away Personal Belongings
Be sure to take down family pictures and all your seasonal decorations. You want to help potential buyers envision their life in your home. Replace these items with accessories that can be grouped by color, shape, or texture like vases, candles, and other decorative items. Mixing in these accessories can make a room much more inviting.
Reorganize Furniture
Professional stagers will often take half of home owners furniture out to create space. You do not need to be that drastic but be sure to reorganize furniture to create space and natural flow to your home. Some people say that pushing furniture to the walls will help with form a spacious feel but this isn’t always the case. Each room will need a different approach to figure out what is the best layout. Tell a neighbor you are staging your home and have them come give you their opinion on what looks best.
Increase Lighting
One simple way to stage a room to feel spacious is to add light. Take down any old dark curtains and replace them with new light and shear drapes. This allows more light to enter in from outside and help create a warm and open feel to the room. Also, make sure all the light bulbs in your home are working. A small thing like a burnt out light bulb can make a big difference on a home buyers impression.
Stage Your Home With Bathroom Makeover
Currently, having a bathroom makeover may be the most common home staging technique. A focus on kitchens and bathrooms has become a big trend in the home buying process. Purchasing new plush towels, scented candles and decorative baskets can go a long way and won’t kill your budget. Home buyers will feel like they’ve entered a spa each time they enter a bathroom.
These are some of the basics of home staging to help you sell your house faster. For more advice on home selling and buying, browse our Pinterest boards or follow us on Facebook. While you are working on selling your house, it’s time to start looking for your dream house and get some ideas for your future home design.
