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Staging your home for sale is a great way to make it more appealing to prospective buyers. It can also help you sell your home faster and at a higher price. When staging a home you live in, it’s called occupied staging. This means the you will be using what you have on hand in addition to making some inexpensive purchases. Staging is an investment, but it’s one that will pay off in the long run—and remember: every dollar counts when you’re selling your home. So what should you do before putting your house on the market? Read on!
Why Should I stage my house?
Staging your home for sale is a great way to make it more appealing to prospective buyers. It can also help you sell your home faster and at a higher price. When staging a home you live in, it’s called occupied staging. This means the you will be using what you have on hand in addition to making some inexpensive purchases. Staging is an investment, but it’s one that will pay off in the long run—and remember: every dollar counts when you’re selling your home. So what should you do before putting your house on the market? Read on!
Declutter
Removing excess clutter is one of the most effective things you can do to stage your home. Clutter makes a house feel small, closed-in and crowded. If you’re trying to sell a larger home, having too much stuff makes it seem smaller than it really is. If you’re trying to sell a smaller home, having too much stuff creates an unbalanced feeling—one room will feel cramped with furniture while another feels empty without it.
Staging experts recommend removing about 20 percent of your belongings before putting your house on the market. It’s best to start with rooms where there are no built-in closets or storage spaces like kitchens and bathrooms; then move on to bedrooms and family rooms where furniture can be pushed up against walls easily enough for decluttering purposes; finally tackle living rooms where everything needs its own space so that nothing gets pushed out of place during staging (and possibly stays that way).
The best way to declutter quickly is to go from room to room:
- Armed with sticky notes, label each item with 1. stay 2. pack 3. get rid of
- Start with the items you are keeping but packing (place in boxes and store in basement or garage)
- Create 3 piles with the items you are getting rid of; 1. donate 2. sell 3. trash
- Make sure you are only keeping items that you can use to stage your home with (nothing smaller than a basketball)
Clean
Cleaning your home is a must-do for staging purposes. In fact, it’s one of the most important things you can do to prepare your home for sale. It’s also not as challenging or time consuming as you might think! Here are some tips to make sure your house is ready for showings:
- Deep clean all rooms in the house (including bathrooms and kitchens; these are two of the most important rooms in any home)
- Clean windows, dust and vacuum throughout the entire house
- Clean out closets, cabinets, drawers and pantry areas (you may be surprised by how much stuff you’ve accumulated) And yes, people will open your cabinets and drawers.
- Get rid of items that don’t belong there anymore; clear out dead weight clutter!
Make sure everything has a place so it doesn’t end up on top of something else later down the road. You’ll avoid unnecessary headaches like this if possible: https://www.houzz-blog.com/1338/how-to-get-rid-of-unused-stuff/
Fix up the kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of your home and the first place potential buyers will look. If your kitchen looks dirty or messy, they’ll be put off by it.
Here are some ideas to get your kitchen looking top notch:
- Clear everything off the counter tops and wash every nook and cranny
- Add a couple of things back on counter top to stage it
- Make sure that your kitchen cabinets and appliances are clean!
- Organize items in your cabinets and remove anything you will not be using
- Clean out the pantry; there’s no need for anyone else to go through it looking at old cans of soup or packs of ramen noodles (which we all still have from college)
- Finally clean out the refrigerator, inside, outside and the top
Clean the floors. You might think that simply sweeping them will be good enough, but we all know better than that! Make sure you use a damp mop or rag to really get in between the crevices and corners where dirt and dust tend to hide. This is especially important if you have hardwood floors or tile as these can easily have dirt build up from just normal wear and tear.
Paint the walls neutral colors
- Paint the walls neutral colors
- Don’t paint them a color that doesn’t match the rest of the house. For example, if you have a brick exterior and wooden floors, don’t paint your walls yellow or orange!
- Don’t choose trendy colors—they’ll look dated in just a few years. Instead, opt for hues that are timeless and classic so that they’ll be easy to resell later on down the road (and also because it simply looks better)
- Hire a professional if you’re doing more than one room
You can't go wrong with white
White is the color of neutrality and cleanliness, so it can be used to help sell a home that needs some work. It’s best suited for spaces with a shortage of natural light, as it can help make your home appear brighter.
A room that feels spacious will always sell better than one that feels cramped or cluttered. White also makes rooms feel larger because of its reflective quality—the more light bouncing off white walls and surfaces, the bigger they appear to be!
Don’t go overboard with whites though; use them in moderation instead of covering every inch of your space with this shade (you may want to consider using different shades, like off-whites instead)
Hide personal belongings
Hide personal belongings. You don’t want the buyer to see your personal items, especially if you’ve got a lot of sentimental stuff lying around. The kitchen is probably the worst place for this, because it’s where buyers will spend most of their time in your home inspecting all the appliances and cabinets. Make sure that when prospective buyers come in, they’re not greeted with a pile of magazines from 2010 or anything else that screams “this house belongs to someone who lives here!”
- You can hide things under beds, in closets and drawers, or simply pack up what you’re not using
- Remove family photos and portraits. If there are any framed photos around your house—especially ones taken at reunions or other events where everyone looks drunk—take them down before showing houses so that buyers won’t feel uncomfortable around them!
- Take down signs with you family name on it and anything that is personal to you and your family
Pay attention to smell
Nothing could send a Buyer running away faster than an odd smelling home!
How to remove odors from your home:
- Wash all bedding in hot water to kill any mildew or mold spores, especially rooms not used often
- Replace any carpets with hardwood floors or tile, which can be cleaned more thoroughly than carpeting and tend not to harbor as many odors
- Clean air ducts by using a professional cleaning service or removing them yourself (but be sure you know how to reattach them properly). You can clean the ducts yourself by using an attachment on your vacuum cleaner or borrowing one from a friend who has one that works well for their machines too!
- If you have pets, give them baths and shampoo them every two weeks while they’re living at home so they don’t leave behind unpleasant smells
Arrange furniture with flow and Purpose in mind
Each room should have a distinct purpose. If a room is being used as an office/craft room and spare bedroom, it will be confusing to the the buyer and not ideal for showings. Create a feeling in each room that exudes peacefulness with a clear purpose of it’s usage. Arrange furniture so that there is a natural flow in and between your rooms. The goal is to create a flow that makes sense, and feels organic and calm.
Remove large pieces of furniture that take up too much space, as they might be making rooms look smaller. Use only furniture and decor that will appeal to most to buyers. When staging homes for sale it is best to keep things simple and clean by using:
- Neutral colors on walls, floors and curtains throughout all rooms including dining areas
- Use large tasteful art on walls to create a focal point
- Use pillows and throws to add warmth and color
- Adding plants will give life to your home (yes, artificial are fine)
- Remove clutter from counters tops by creating designated areas for dishes or knick-knacks
- Keep storage areas neat – use cute woven baskets to house things you frequently use
- Remove small throw rugs
Go outside and walk around your home
Going outside and walking around your home, and seeing it from a buyers perspective can really make a big difference. Because you see it everyday, it’s sometimes difficult to see it with a buyers eye. When selling your house, this will give you more perspective on how it looks from a prospective new owner. If you’re selling an apartment or condo, it’s likely that potential buyers will be looking at the exterior of your unit as well – so start looking for ways to improve the outside and increase curb appeal.
Here are some examples:
- Add fresh mulch around trees or shrubs
- Get a new mail box if yours is old and tired
- Clean up any dog poo & roll hoses neatly
- Create a seating area in the back yard that looks inviting
- Power wash the side of your home if there is ground in dirt or mold
- Flower pots at front entrance
Conclusion
You should now be well-versed in how to stage your home for sale. Don’t forget that staging is only one part of the process, but it can make a big difference in getting your home sold quickly and at a higher price. If you’re a DIY’er but would like a little direction to maximize your efforts, I can help you! I offer sellers an in-home consultation listing everything you can do to sell your home faster and for more money. Email me for more information cindy@zenpromedia.com
