If you’re planning on selling your home in the near future, you’ve probably spent some time wondering how you can really make your property stand out from the countless other homes on the market. How can you get prospective buyers to not only schedule a walk-through, but be interested in making an offer?
The first step comes with properly staging your home to prepare it to be seen. Staging your home means you’re doing all you can to showcase your property in its best light and make it look appealing to buyers. But some sellers mistakingly think that all they need to do is tidy up a bit and they’re good to go.
If you’re , take the following home staging tips into action to help you sell your home in no time:
Clear the Clutter
De-cluttering your home should be at the top of your list when it comes to staging your home. Not only does clutter take up a lot of space, but it also distracts from the home and makes it hard for potential buyers to see past the stuff. Make your home appear bigger and more appealing by getting rid of everything but the basics.
You don’t have to ditch your belongings for good, but pack up all the extra and haul it out of the home while you’re trying to sell. Clutter includes any unseasonal clothing items, a lot of decor, stacks of papers, knick-knacks, piles of shoes, and pretty much anything else that you don’t need to use on a daily basis.
Buyers should be able to open up closets, cabinets, and drawers to get an idea of storage potential, so clear out as much as you can before you put your house on the market.
Home Staging Tips- Deep Cleaning is a Must
There’s tidying, there’s cleaning, and then there’s deep cleaning. Before putting your home on the market, be prepared to get down to the nitty-gritty. You want to pay attention to every inch of space from the ceilings to the floors and every nook and cranny in between.
Plan on cleaning baseboards, shelves, inside your fridge, around the bases of toilets, inside of drawers, and the grout between tiles. You should also take the time to wash your windows inside and out. Your homes should sparkle and shine.
If you aren’t prepared to take on this task yourself, invest in a professional cleaning crew to get your home in shape before you allow anyone to walk through the door. This will be worth the time or money you spend. A dirty house will turn away buyers while a squeaky clean home will draw people in.
Make Necessary Repairs
There are many home staging tips to keep in mind, but none is more important than making necessary repairs. Nothing signals neglect to potential home buyers like walls with lots of nicks and small holes, snagged carpets, a loose banister, or squeaky doors.
Take the time to remove scuffs on walls, tackle with spackle, and patch up with paint. These small efforts show buyers that you put have put in the effort to maintain the property instead of letting it fall apart. Staging a home is all about making a place look inviting and well kept.
Be Wary of Smells
We all grow accustomed to the smells of our own home. These smells might be the result of the laundry detergent that we use, the food that we cook, the perfume that we wear, and so on. When staging a home, it’s important that the property smells clean and fresh. Avoid spraying strong sprays in an attempt to cover up other odors.
Try to steer clear of any potent cleaning products before you anticipate a visit from potential home buyers. One of the easiest ways to rid your home of smells that might be off-putting to others is to simply open up the windows an hour ahead of time.
Stay on top of your laundry and wash your bed sheets regularly. Keep dirty dishes out of the sink and make sure to clean up the bathrooms regularly to keep your home smelling fresh and clean. You might want to go so far as to avoid cooking food items that are spicy or extra greasy while you’re in the process of showing your home. And if you have any young children, take all diapers outside and put them in an outdoor trashcan with a closed lid.
De-Personalize the Home
Any good home staging resource will tell you the importance of de-personalizing your home before you list it. When staging a home, the idea is to keep the buyer in mind, and the buyer needs to be able to visualize a space as their own. For them to be able to put themselves into the space in their mind, the home needs to resemble a blank canvas.
De-personalizing doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be anything in the home, but you should remove items that indicate that the home belongs to the seller instead of being open to the buyer.
De-personalizing a space begins with obvious personal photographs. If you have a gallery wall of family pictures, you should remove these first. Framed photos on walls or fridge or shelves should be taken down.
Next, remove any items that are overtly religious. Keep your counters clear of personal items such as prescriptions, toothbrushes, combs, contact solution, etc.
De-personalizing your home can feel strange while you’re still living in it, but it’s an important step in setting the stage for showing your home to others.
Discover Other Helpful Tips for Selling Your Home
Once you’ve mastered these home staging tips, on buying and selling real estate. The better prepared you are to buy and sell in a competitive market, the higher your chances of success.
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