Home Staging Tips For Home Sellers

Home Staging Tips For Home Sellers

First impressions are lasting impressions!  Show potential home buyers that your home shines above the rest using these easy home staging tips:

  • De-clutter and de-personalize – Home buyers want to be able to “see” or imagine themselves living in a space; they want to forget that they are buying a “used” home.  Start by removing your photos, knick-knacks and collections that show your personality and opt for the “less is more” philosophy.  In bathrooms especially, remove toiletries such as toothpaste, razors and hair brushes from view and replace them with fluffy, clean, white towels and a scented candle.Start the moving process by packing up seasonal kitchen items, rarely used appliances, bulky winter jackets and excess kids toys to showcase the storage in cabinets, drawers and closets.
  • Deep clean – Clean like your neat-freak mother-in-law is coming to visit!  Deep clean your home or hire someone to do this.  We often get used to our spaces, so much so that we forget that our kitchen countertops, backsplash and appliances have stains and smudges, baseboards are dirty, our pets have left their hair all over the place, ceiling fans have dust bunnies or our windows have hand prints all over them.  Presenting your home as shiny and clean lets potential buyers know that you have pride in ownership and have taken care of your home.
  • Curb appeal – Make sure your home is appealing from the street view.  Some ideas to accomplish this is to use a pressure washer to remove any dirt from siding, make your entryway inviting by painting the front door, planting flowers, replacing the house number sign, mowing the yard and painting the mailbox.
  • Paint – A fresh coat of paint works wonders for the interior!  Opt for a neutral shade and add pops of color with generic, non-personal art and accessories
  • Make rooms feel as large as possible – Remove excess furniture and organize a conversational space in the living room by placing the sofa and chairs facing each other.  Often, pulling furniture away from the walls makes the space look larger.
  • Lighting – Maximize natural lighting by opening curtains and blinds, replace dim light bulbs in fixtures with higher wattage bulbs, aim to have an ambient (outdoor light), overhead and task type of lighting in each room for maximum effect.  Also, mirrors are an inexpensive way to reflect light and make rooms seem bigger and brighter.
  • Smell – The sense of smell is very important in creating a great showing experience for a home buyer.  Use a diffuser by the front door, place a scented candle on the stove and place scented flowers such as jasmine, lilacs or roses around the home.  Choose scents that are light and clean smelling, not dark and overpowering.

Set your home apart from other homes for sale!  Remember, home staging is a tool used to showcase and sell your home.  Your Realtor is a valuable resource and will help you accomplish this!

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