How you stage your home to sell is an extremely important step in the process of selling your home, but it can also be one of the most difficult parts of that process. Home staging allows potential buyers to envision their own personal belongings in your home, and makes the house easier to see and understand what you have included as part of the sale. These are just 10 ways to stage your home to sell, but there are plenty more out there; this post will point you in the right direction and give you some great starting tips on how to stage your own home!
1) Invest in Staging
You may already know about an open house, but what about a staged home open house? Home staging is a marketing strategy that will make your property more attractive and give it better curb appeal. If you are planning on selling your home and want to attract serious buyers who are looking for a place they can move into right away, having your home staged is essential.
The process is fairly simple, just be sure to work with professionals and if you are doing any DIY tips make sure they get approved by a professional first. Here’s our list of 10 ways you can stage your home yourself. Remember not every tip applies to every home, so don’t try everything at once! Try one or two at a time until you find something that works best for your home.
1) Change out all light bulbs
2) Hang decorative wall art
3) Rearrange furniture
4) Remove clutter
5) Use bold paint colors
6) Remove unnecessary items
7) Add outdoor living space
8) Install plants
9) Use accent pillows
10) Consider flooring changes This way when someone walks through your front door they feel as though they could picture themselves living there! So when it comes time to sell your home… people aren’t saying no because of anything about the interior design, its all about location, location, location!
2) Remove Personal Items
Removing personal items such as family photos, children’s artwork, and knickknacks can help create a home that looks more professional. Instead of displaying your family photos, select one picture of you and your partner as a couple. And instead of leaving your kids’ crayon drawings on every wall in sight, hang only one or two pieces that showcase their talents.
Home staging is all about creating an environment that is likely to appeal to a wide range of buyers so play it safe with neutral colors and simple layouts. Homes without personal touches are easier for potential buyers to imagine themselves living in. Plus, you’ll avoid any last-minute decisions when it comes time to move out. After all, if someone offers you full price, will you really want to hold out for $5k?
You may have moved into your home with thoughts of growing old there but no matter how attached you become, remember that it’s just stuff—and getting attached doesn’t make sense if moving means greater financial freedom. If a buyer is willing to pay top dollar and fast then don’t hesitate—take advantage of their offer!
3) Display What Sets You Apart
If you’re trying to sell your home, one of your main priorities should be maximizing curb appeal. And while it might seem natural to try and showcase what makes your home unique—like a stunning custom tile backsplash or a wall mural—it’s often more effective to focus on things that are universal.
The best way to do that is with high-quality staging furniture and accessories (at least when you’re selling). While staging can cost as much as $5,000 for a full overhaul, it will likely be well worth it for higher-end homes. To keep costs in check, shop around for pieces from local consignment stores or buy gently used items from sites like Craigslist or Instagram secondhand dealers.
4) Use Professional Photography
When you sell your home, staging it is a good way to ensure that potential buyers will see what they want and imagine themselves living there.
Home staging is typically defined as cleaning, decluttering, re-arranging furniture and adding or removing personal items and decor. However, unless you are a professional photographer, bringing in an expert isn’t just recommended — it’s absolutely essential.
Why? Professional photography is key because real estate photos need to be beautiful enough that your potential buyer will go out of their way to visit your house in person. It’s not uncommon for online homebuyers to make up their minds about a property based on photos alone, so taking extra time with photography could literally result in extra dollars from your sale!
5) Prepare Your Rooms
Open houses are often a matter of show and tell with potential buyers, so you want your rooms to look their best. This might mean spending some extra time on staging (that is, strategically placing furniture, art and decorative items in your home). For example, if you’re staging a bedroom: Consider adding fresh linens to make your bed.
Keep blankets in a drawer or closet and only pull them out when it’s time for showings. Clean windowsills—they’re an overlooked area that can really make an impression on potential buyers. Remove distracting elements (or hide them) from view, like personal photos or knickknacks. Arrange books on shelves by color instead of by title. Put away anything that doesn’t belong in a room, such as kids’ toys or tools. If you have pets, keep them out of sight during open houses.
Make sure bathrooms are spotless and free of clutter.
6) Remove Clutter
Pets can add a lot of life and personality to a home, but they can also have an impact on selling price. To sell your home quickly and for top dollar, you may want to keep pets in other locations while you stage it.
This means removing food and water bowls, litter boxes or carriers (depending on whether they’re inside or outside) or toys that can be seen by potential buyers.
It might sound cruel, but remember: your pets will be fine without their home base for a few days—and so will you if you get top dollar.
7) Create Flow Between Rooms
Pets are usually welcomed in a home, but when it comes time to sell, your furry friends can actually be a turn-off for some buyers. After all, who wants to pay top dollar for a home with fur on its floor or hair buried deep in its carpet?
It’s also smart to remove toys from sight and curb any odors before potential buyers arrive. The less obvious you make their presence, the more potential you have of selling your home fast and at full price.
Just make sure that you carefully prepare your pet(s) for a new environment during any staging project—you don’t want them disrupting open houses or scaring away visitors with bathroom accidents!
8) Remove All Obvious Signs of Pets
Pets can be wonderful, but they make potential buyers wonder if they’d be able to sell their own pet. If you’re selling a home with pets, remove all obvious signs of them before you host an open house or get appraisals done.
Also keep in mind that some potential buyers will not want pets around, so it’s best to get rid of anything that reminds them of animals—things like dog beds and framed pictures are off-limits. Some buyers may think it’s cute at first, but after a while they’ll find all those photos and toys distracting and invasive.
9) Use Neutral Colors to Reflect Different Moods
Using neutral colors can be one of your best tools when you’re trying to sell a home. It allows you more flexibility in changing up decorating schemes by simply swapping out throw pillows or moving lamps around.
When you go with color, it’s harder (and more expensive) to change things up since they’ll have to be repainted. If you haven’t painted your walls in a while, consider working with light neutrals—white and light gray are especially versatile.
While dark colors seem cozier, they can make a room look smaller and can make people feel uncomfortable—both of which may discourage buyers from considering your home if your asking price is higher than other homes in your area that are listed at similar prices.
10) Create a Clear Path Through the House
Make sure that any prospective buyers can see through your home. Cut down on clutter by storing belongings in cabinets or garages if you don’t want them left out, and consider setting furniture on clear plastic so prospective buyers can see any scratches or stains. (When selling a home, it’s best not to try hiding anything!)
If you don’t have enough time or energy to remove all of your knick-knacks, line them up in neat rows. This may seem like an insignificant gesture for someone who is only there for a few hours—but even slight disruptions are big no-nos when it comes to maximizing return on your listing.
Let’s Connect!
Staging can make all the difference, and hiring a professional realtor can mean the difference between success and failure when it comes to the sale of your home. Fill out the form below and connect with me! Let’s stage your home and market it to sell so you can get on with the next chapter of your life!