Staging your home correctly will allow buyers to see its true potential, and sell fast. There are a few specific staging tips to follow that have the most impact on potential buyers. Here are the top staging tips for selling your home quickly.
Remove your personal items
Some may call this “decluttering”. That word doesn’t really describe what needs to happen. Almost no one views their personal belonging as “clutter”, but that is what we are talking about here. A buyer needs to be able to imagine the home with their own furnishings and personality. A homeowner’s personal belongings, family photos, and specific decor items can be distracting to potential buyers. If possible, leave only the major pieces of furniture and a few decor items that will appeal to the masses.
Brighten the Space
More than ever, buyers are seeking homes that have great lighting. This includes natural lighting from the outside and the light produced from fixtures and lamps inside the home. Here are a few ways to stage your home to ensure that your home is shining bright.
Remove heavy drapes
Removing your curtains may be a good idea for a few reasons. Your curtains may represent your specific design aesthetic which may distract buyers. Curtains also block natural sunlight from beaming through your windows. If you also have blinds or plantation shutters, make sure they are opened or drawn during showings.
Clean your windows
Having clean windows will allow more light to come in. You will be surprised by the difference that it makes.
Trim Trees
Sometimes you have to make alterations to the exterior of your home in order to stage the interior. If you have overhanging trees that block light from coming through your window, you will be well-served to trim them. Just trim back the branches and leaves that are blocking out sunlight.
Replace your light bulbs with LED bulbs
Quickly swapping out your light bulbs for LED bulbs can vastly improve the lighting in your home. LED bulbs produce light that is similar to natural sunlight. Spending a few hundred dollars on bulbs can make you thousands on the sale of your home.
Define the Space
Defining your living spaces with furniture layout helps a buyer visualize how a room or area is used. This is especially important in vacant homes with little to no furniture. Buyers aren’t always able to imagine how they will place their furniture in an empty home. So show buyers where to put the television or how spacious the dining room is even with a table and eight chairs in it.
Add Color
Buyers usually don’t want to be overwhelmed with color. Since everyone has different tastes when it comes to color and design, it is best to keep the colors in your home neutral and add colorful decorative elements. This can be done by adding fresh flowers, plants, bowls of fresh fruit, throw pillows, curtains, hand towels, and wall art.
Minor Fixes
There are various opinions about whether or not homeowners should make major repairs before they go into contract with a buyer. However, most industry professionals do agree that minor home repairs should be completed before the home is listed. Since buyers tend to overestimate how much it will cost to make these repairs, it is a great idea to fix them before they ever see them. Here is a list of quick fixes to make before listing your home for sale.
- Ripped window screens
- Loose doorknobs
- Nail/screw holes in walls
- Leaking faucets
- Damaged flooring
- Broken kitchen appliances
- Broken or dated light fixtures
Paint
Adding a fresh coat of paint to the interior walls of your home is the most impactful way to stage your home to sell quickly. Painting your home right before listing it for sale will allow you to freshen up your space with a light and bright color. Buyers tend to overestimate the cost and amount of work required to paint the interior walls of a house. You will recuperate every dollar that you spend on painting.
Clean
Homebuyers are extremely sensitive to odors and homes that don’t appear clean. The cleanliness of a home for sale should meet a higher standard. If your home doesn’t smell neutral and is not sparkling clean, prospective buyers may not even consider it to be an option. Pay special attention to the kitchen and bathrooms. Don’t forget that buyers will be opening doors throughout your home. That means they will see the inside of your kitchen appliances, closets, and cabinets.
The value of staging
If you are willing to put in a few weekends of work and a few thousand dollars into staging your home, your home will stand out to potential buyers. Choosing not to invest in staging your home could present many missed opportunities with buyers. For more info about getting your home ready for sale or to meet with one of our agents for a staging consultation, call us today at 310-379-4444.