In today’s competitive home selling market, there’s one observation that’s hard to deny: Staged homes sell more quickly and for more money. Spending the typical $1,000 to $2,000 for a professional staging service can be well worth the money as it’s likely to help bring top dollar for your home. But even if you’re a do-it-yourself home stager, there are plenty of low-cost actions you can take to ensure your home is presented properly to potential buyers. Choose from as many of these tips as possible!
Declutter
The overriding rule of thumb for decluttering is to de-personalize everywhere. Store away all family photos and personalized mementos. Most buyers aren’t interested in your fond memories and often view these items as clutter. Clutter is visual noise that detracts from your home’s appeal in the eyes of someone trying to visualize themselves there.
Top de-cluttering tips by room and the outdoors:
∙ Kitchen. Remove all counter-top appliances, dish drying racks, and pots to create more open space. Kitchen space sells.
∙ Bathroom. Pack away toothbrushes, toothpaste, hair brushes, and any other personal hygiene items. Besides creating a cleaner space, no one really wants to see these very personal items.
∙ Family room and den. Remove around 50 percent of all items on shelving to open up the space and create a cleaner look.
∙ Bedroom. Pack away as many clothing items as possible. Closets should only be about 75 percent full to create spaciousness and tidiness.
∙ Outdoors. Remove empty flower pots, children’s toys, and worn out deck chairs, tables, or umbrellas. Trim overgrown bushes and trees. Weed gardens and keep the lawn mowed.
Rearrange and Decorate
Undoubtedly, this is the more fun part of staging. If rearranging and decorating isn’t second nature to you, check out a few home shows and sites such as Pinterest to get your creative juices flowing. Home buyers’ tastes will vary widely, so it’s best to keep finishing touches simple and clean rather than going for complicated ideas.
Top rearranging and decorating tips by room and the outdoors:
∙ Kitchen. Some of the lesser expensive kitchen updates include replacing the kitchen faucet and cabinet hardware. Faucets can add interesting finishes, shape, and function to the kitchen, while replacing cabinet knobs can make the cabinet doors look brand new.
∙ Bathroom. Create a spa-like atmosphere with fluffy towels, candles, and small decorative items. Keep it simple and clean as you still want to convey open space on countertops. Update bathroom faucets and cabinet hardware if the room needs freshening up.
∙ Bedroom. Minimize the amount of furniture in each room and arrange to maximize spaciousness. A bed, side table, and dresser or armoire should be sufficient.
∙ Bonus room. Every room needs to be defined, including that bonus room that you’ve used as storage or multi-purpose. Decide which type of buyers are your most likely target market (families, empty nesters, etc.) and give that room a purpose. It could be an extra bedroom, an office, a playroom, or even a craft room. Borrow, buy, or re-use furniture from another overcrowded room to define the space accordingly.
∙ Outdoors. Add potted plants to your front porch or walkway. Replace chipped pots or paint drab, older ones with bright colors. Replace worn out deck furniture with a few simple chairs and decorate with new pillows.
Decorating rules of thumb:
∙ Paint. Paint is typically a relatively inexpensive way to freshen up and brighten the entire interior of a home. Use neutral colors to create a blank canvas for the potential buyer. You can also use minimal flashes of brighter color in selective accent areas.
∙ Accessorize. Group accessories in threes and vary height of items such as candles and vases. Use a unifying element such as color, shape, or texture in your accessories.
Entice Buyers with Every Showing
Present your home at its best to help buyers make an emotional connection.
∙ Final clean. Give the house one last clean, polish, and dust before you leave the house.
∙ Lighting. Open curtains and blinds and turn on lights in all rooms.
∙ Pets. Even if you’re presenting a pet-friendly home, remove all evidence of pet odor, hair, and half-eaten chew toys.
∙ Sofas, beds, and linens. Fluff up sofa cushions and use accent pillows for a flash of color. Ensure all beds are neatly made with coordinating linens. Throw pillows add a welcoming feel.
∙ Flowers. Present a bouquet of fresh flowers for the kitchen or dining room table.
∙ Inviting scents. Use an air freshener or cinnamon and vanilla water to warm the olfactory senses. Remember that overwhelming scents can backfire, so keep it subtle.