Staging Your House to Sell

Selling your home can be a stressful process.  In an effort to make the process as least stressful as possible there are things you can do that will help your home to show better.  With your home in better showing condition you have the possibility of more and quicker offers.  Below are some tips for staging your house to sell.

• De-Cluttering and Cleaning:  It may sound like common sense but de-cluttering and cleaning your home are two of the simplest and most effective things you can do.  Taking these steps will make it easier for the potential buyer to see what they are possibly looking to buy.
  • Get rid of extra furniture.  Make each room look as spacious as possible by leaving only the essential furniture for that room.
    • Ex.  Living Room:  Couch, Love Seat, Coffee Table, Lamps
    • Ex:  Bedroom:  Bed, Dresser, Night table
• Remove all clutter (mail, knick knacks, etc) from countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms and anywhere else necessary.  Leave as little on countertops as possible. 
• Remove as much from your closet as possible.  Spacious closets are important to many potential buyers.  By removing items from your closet you are making it look bigger and more spacious which will help to entice many potential buyers.
• Make sure to clean your home.  Dust all surfaces, mop floors, vacuum carpets, etc.  You want potential buyers to see your home and not be distracted from mess or dirt.
  • Part of cleaning your home should focus on making sure it smells pleasant.  You will need to get rid of any and all pet, cigarette smoke, and cooking smells.  Many potential buyers will be turned off by any potent smells.  It may be a good idea to have your real estate agent, a family member, or a friend walk through the house and objectively tell you if they smell anything.
  • Repairs and Improvements:  Most potential home buyers would like to buy a property and have to do as little immediate repairs as necessary.  Potential buyers will find your home more favorable if they know that these types of repairs and improvements have already been done and will be much more willing to possibly write an offer.
    • While most potential buyers will obtain a home inspection once an offer is accepted it may be a good idea for you to have your own home inspection before you put your house on the market.  The home inspector will be able to tell you what repairs and/or improvements are needed so you know you are putting your time and money where it needs to be.
    • If you have much older appliances upgrade them to newer ones.  Potential buyers will like that they should not have to replace them in the near future and it is a selling point your agent can put on your listing to catch potential buyer’s attention.
    • A quick and relatively cheap improvement you can make is to paint all walls either white or a very neutral color.  This will help potential buyers see a blank canvas and help them to imagine what they would like to do if they decide to buy your house.  It is important to also replace any deteriorating wallpaper at this time as well with a neutral pattern and color scheme.
    • It is a good idea to steam clean all carpets.  After that you may realize that some carpets are beyond cleaning.  At this point you will want to make the decision to replace those carpets. 
    • Baby Proof:  You never know who may be interested in buying your home.  A big part of the potential buyer market is families with children.  Baby proofing your house will help appeal to this demographic and make it easier for parents to picture raising their young children in your house.
    • Lighting:  It is important that potential buyers are able to see what they are considering buying.  Be sure each room is well lit with plenty of lights.  Even if a room receives plenty of natural light during the day remember that some potential buyers may look at your house when it is dark outside so you should have proper lighting in those rooms as well.
    • No Controversy:  It is always important to remember that things that you find attractive and not offensive may offend or turn-off potential buyers.  It is important to make sure anything displayed in your home is nothing that will turn off potential buyers.
      • Any books or magazines that are displayed should not be of a provocative nature.
      • If you have any hunting souvenirs displayed you may want to remove them as some potential buyers may be turned off by them.
      •  Standing Out:  While you do not want to do anything too drastic you may want to do something that will make your house stand-out from others on the market in a positive way.  Something that will keep your house in the potential buyer’s mind.
        • Keep a pretty bouquet of fresh flowers on the dining room table.
        • Display a simple but pretty wind chime by the backdoor.
        • Avoid Too Staged:  While you want your home to look nice and appeal to potential buyers you want to remember not to go too far with it.  You do not want your home to look too staged or fake.  Remember that while getting it in a showing condition to make it look real and lived-in.  Potential buyers want to imagine they could one day live there and when a house looks lived-in that makes it easier for them to do so.