Staging your home is an important part of the selling process. How important? 83% of buyers’ agents say that staging makes it easier to visualize a potential property as their future home, and 44% say that home staging increases their offer.
Staging your home is simply arranging it to look appealing, eliminate distractions, and highlight the house’s positive elements. A great home staging will set your house apart from others on the market, allow you to negotiate price, and let prospective buyers see themselves in your home.
Here are a few things to know about staging your home when listing it.
Curb Appeal: Staging Your Home’s Exterior
You have to admit; judgement of a home starts with the outside appearance. Since most buyers do a “drive by” before expressing interest in seeing the property, staging the outside of your home is a vital first step. If a potential buyer isn’t impressed with the outside appearance of your property, chances are they won’t ever set foot inside your home.
Just a few changes can make all the difference, including:
- Paint the front door and, if applicable, shutters
- Arrange colorful plantings or floral baskets along the sidewalks and porches
- Keep the lawn mowed
- Fresh mulch in flower beds
- Prune unsightly bushes and trees
Make the home’s exterior inviting; can a buyer see themselves and their family spending time in your yard?
Staging Your Home: Let’s Go Inside
What you think makes your home appealing may not be what others find appealing. There is no “universal staging secret” that will entice every buyer. There are, however, a few “universal truths” in how to stage a house for sale.
Declutter
A buyer wants to know that all of the family’s belongings will fit into the house’s storage spaces. Having overstuffed closets and clutter on the dining room table or kitchen counters is an instant blow to the perception of “space.” The great news is that decluttering now will make packing for your move a lot easier.
Give your closets some love by removing half of the items currently stored in them, then carefully organize what’s left in your closets to make them appear roomy and bright. Do the interior closet walls need a fresh coat of bright paint? Is it time to change lightbulbs in your storage areas?
Now let’s look at the kitchen. Are your cupboards a mess of unmatched tupperware lids and bowls? You started with one junk drawer…do you currently have three or four? How many packets of fast food ketchup do you really need (hint: probably none)? Make sure the cabinets are organized and tidy, and clear your counter space as much as you can.
The bathroom is another place full of clutter and outdated, useless products. Go through the bathroom to make sure the medicine cabinet is cleaned and organized, as well as the storage space under the sink. Again, keep the counters clutter-free as much as possible.
Clean, Even Where You Don’t Think Anyone Will Look
You may think that the insides of your kitchen cabinets are sacred, but potential buyers can (and will) open doors everywhere. You clean your house regularly, but how detailed is your weekly cleaning schedule? Here are a few overlooked areas to spot clean when staging your home.
- Ceilings: Look for cobwebs, peeling paint, and dust.
- Fans: If you have overhead ceiling fans, make sure those fan blades and lights are dust free.
- Baseboards: Make sure to clean off the baseboards with a wet rag. Do they need a coat of paint?
- Walls: Are the walls full of cobwebs or dust? Do they look dirty? Are there cobwebs in the corner? Try wiping walls down with a damp rag and see if they look brighter. If not, you may need to put a fresh coat of paint on them.
- Windows: Are the screens in good repair? Is the glass clean? Do you need to dust or wipe down your blinds?
- Doors: Check your doors for dull and dirty surfaces around the door handles. Are the insets of the doors dust free and clean? If you have louvre doors, you will most likely need to dust the slats.
- Flooring: Are your tiles clean, hardwood floors dusted and polished, and carpets free of stains? A few hours with a carpet steam cleaner will revitalize your carpets and help neutralize odors.
Optimize Space by Removing Bulky Furniture
One of the biggest turnoffs for buyers is to walk into a room and not know how much space there really is due to oversized furniture or when there are just too many pieces. Pare down to only the necessities and orient them to show off the room’s full potential.
And when deciding how to arrange furniture, be sure to give each room a purpose. For example, if you use one of your spare bedrooms for both a guest room and an office, it’s time to commit to one or the other. By having “multi-purpose” rooms, you give off the idea that the house doesn’t have enough space to provide everything necessary for daily living. Highlight what is possible, not what is lacking.
How to Stage a House to be Bright, Light, and Airy
Dark, dreary rooms are guaranteed to deter potential buyers. Open your drapes and blinds to let in natural light wherever possible. If some of your rooms don’t have exposure to natural light, you can trick the eye by using light fixtures, mirrors, and light colors to brighten the room.
Your Next Steps
Selling a house can seem overwhelming, and staging your home for sale may have uncovered some issues you need to address before opening it for viewing. Download my free, easy-to-use seller’s to-do checklist to help you get organized.
