Home Staging Tips

When preparing your home to be listed for sale, remember that potential buyers will quickly form an impression of your home as they drive up and walk in the front door.  They are visualizing how your home could be their home.  Any negatives about the experience such as clutter, leaks, poor paint, small rooms, cracks, disrepair, etc. will stick out in the buyer’s mind even thought it may not be so noticeable to you.  For this reason, preparing your home to look like a model home, much like the model homes you see in newly constructed subdivisions, can go a long way towards getting your home sold quickly.

	Increase Your Curb Appeal Mow the lawn, trim the hedges, and blow-off the sidewalk and entryway to create a clean look. Polish your doorknocker, put out a new welcome mat, and plant some seasonal flowers near the entryway. Be sure to pull up any weeds in the flower beds and add mulch where needed. Replace any damaged screens or light fixtures.
	Brighten the Place Up Open up curtains, drapes, and window shades to let some natural light in. Turn on all the lights and make sure you install new light bulbs where needed. Increase the wattage of the bulbs in the bathrooms, utility room, and closets. A brighter house seems larger and more cheerful.
	Add a Coat of Fresh Paint A fresh coat of paint will instantly give a room a clean and updated look. Be sure to choose colors from a neutral, low-saturation, or white pallet so that the color appeals to the widest group of buyers. The exception might be when a color is carefully coordinated with the color of furniture, accessories or fabrics.
	Finally Finish Those Minor Repairs It happens all the time…you put off making those minor repairs until the time comes to sell your home. It’s finally time to replace or tighten any hardware, repair any leaky faucets, light fixtures, and appliances. Mend cracks or holes in the walls. Be sure all doors, cabinets, and drawers open and close easily without sticking. Rent a carpet steamer or hire a professional to clean carpets and remove any stains. Remove any latent odors in pet or smoking areas.
	Add a Splash of Color in Your Kitchen A functional and colorful kitchen can sell a home. Hide any large counter appliances and add colorful accessories such as place mats, bowls of fruit, flowers, or seasonal items. Keep the surfaces clutter-free and as well as the contents of all the cabinets since potential buyers will look inside. Arrange glasses, cups, and plates in an organized manner. Clean your sink, microwave, oven, and dishwasher. Remove any stacks of mail or papers.
	Arrange Living and Dining Areas to be Functional Remember that one additional foot of space between the back of a chair and a wall or traffic area will have a huge effect on the perception of how “open” the space feels. In dining areas, set the table with place mats, plates, glasses and a decorative centerpiece. In living areas, remove clutter, straighten bookshelves, add some logs to the fireplace and highlight the coffee table with some colorful books or flowers.
	Keep Bedrooms Soft and Peaceful Bedrooms should be open and invite comfort and rest. Remove any large or unnecessary pieces of furniture. Dressers and nightstands should highlight just a few accents such as lamps, books, vases, family photos, or flowers. Keep the bed linens meticulously straightened and add a few colorful accent pillows. Be sure to keep the shades and curtains open to let in some natural light.
	Clean and Freshen Your Bathrooms Bathrooms need to be clean and functional. Spend some time cleaning all the grout and soap residue from the corners of tubs, showers and counter tops. Set out a few scented candles, decorative hand towels and bathroom accessories. Shine all the mirrors, faucets, and shower heads. Open your cabinets and straighten the contents. Remove any personal items you may not want potential buyers to see when they open your cabinets.
	Clean, Clean, and Keep Clean This is probably the most difficult part of keeping your house ready to be shown to prospective home buyers, particularly if you have children. You should perform a deep cleaning first to remove any clutter, dust, cob-webs and stains. Following, it will be much easier to maintain if you break the cleaning tasks into smaller tasks you can perform on a daily basis.
	Things to Do Before the Showing Give the house a quick walk through to remove clutter and clean any missed areas when you know it will be shown. Turn on all the lights, open the blinds, and play some peaceful soft music in the background. Be sure that valuable or confidential items are stored away in a safe place. Plan to leave the house while it is being shown because many buyers will become distracted, rush through the showing and avoid asking questions if you remain home during the tour.