Staging Your Home to Sell
When real estate agents talk about staging your home, they are not trying to encourage you to perform for buyers – they are referring to a decorating method that is designed to showcase your home’s best assets, impress buyers, and sell your home quickly for the highest possible price.
It is often difficult for homeowners to be subjective to a home in which they have lived for a few, or many, years. As a homeowner, you have decorated your home to suit your style and your life. However, when you are trying to sell you home, you must remember that you are trying to sell it to someone else.
While you may love a bold red in the dining room, a dark navy in the kitchen, and a bright yellow in your little one’s nursery, it is important to know that these colors are not agreeable to all. Choosing paint colors that are light, warm, and neutral allow potential buyers to visualize their own furniture and belongings inside your home. It is also important to know that most buyers are not impressed with wallpaper. It is best to tear it down and paint the walls a neutral color. Speaking of painting, it is important to paint all of your rooms the same color when staging. This, again, allows potential buyers to visualize their own personal style in your home.
Clear out clutter! Making a home feel as big as possible is a huge advantage. Clutter distracts buyers from your home’s nice features, and it gives the impression that there is not adequate space in the home for storage. Put away knickknacks, mail, and shoes into defined spaces instead of having them scattered throughout the home. And remember, buyers will want to see how much closet space is available so do not simply throw everything inside your closet thinking that you will “hide” it.
Depersonalize your home. This is often one of the hardest aspects of staging for many people. However, you want potential buyers to be able to envision themselves in your home. Having pictures of your children, your wedding, etc. all over the house will remind buyers that this is your home, and will not allow it to feel like it could be their own.
Clean, clean, and clean again. Clean your carpets, clean your floors, clean your attic, clean your gutters, clean your landscape, clean your ceiling fans, clean your vents, clean under your bed, clean your toilets – clean it all! A clean home leaves buyers with the feeling that your home was well taken care of and that it is a worthy and safe investment.
Spruce up the exterior of your home. Curb appeal goes a long way in attracting buyers because it is the first thing that they see. Make sure your landscape and lawn are well maintained, wash your windows, repaint shutters, doors, and siding. Make sure that the sidewalk leading up to the front door is clear and clean. If you have a large backyard, showcase it! An outdoor living space is a huge advantage to sellers, but it must be well maintained in order to sell.
It is important that your staging efforts are designed to appeal to the widest range of buyers. The more open, neutral, and inviting your home is the easier it will be to sell. And don’t forget, fresh flowers, a fresh candle with a warm vanilla scent, and plush, nicely folded towels can go a long way!
Posted on behalf of Jadestone Real Estate