Stage your house to make it look and feel like it’s the buyers’ home.
Home staging is more like an illusion where buyers instantly fall in love with the house. Staged houses spend 73 percent less time on the market and sell for 1% to 5% more dollars than non-staged homes, according to a survey done by the Real Estate Staging Association. Staging has one goal: to make potential buyers see the house as their home. You can accomplish this by addressing curb appeal, smells, paint, cleanliness, organization, lighting, and décor to make it look bigger, brighter, cleaner, warmer and more inviting.
First Step to Sage Your House is to Enhance Curb Appeal
A house’s curb appeal can make or break its sale before potential buyers even open the door. Look at your house from the outside as a potential buyer. What kind of emotions does it invoke? Make sure the lawn is freshly mowed and that trees, bushes, and flower beds are well cared for. Sweep all sidewalks and walkways. Consider adding homey touches when possible, such as porch furniture or hanging plants. However, remember to keep clutter to a minimum.
Make it Smell Good
Once potential buyers come inside, one of the first things they notice is your home’s smell. Address any pet odor problems you may have, and remove pets from the home during showings whenever possible. Open windows for fresh air if the weather is nice. Burn a candle or scented fragrance wax for a pleasant smell, but be careful when choosing scents. If fragrances are too strong, buyers will think you are covering something up. Choose light food-related smells, such as vanilla, cinnamon, or citrus.
Paint
If you have a pink girl’s room or a blue boy’s room, consider painting them neutral colors. Potential buyers sometimes can’t see past a paint color to imagine their own family living in your house. Bright, dramatic colors can turn off some buyers, and paint is an inexpensive fix.
Clean
Thoroughly clean your house before it goes on the market. Flooring is a very important feature for potential buyers, so make sure to have carpets professionally cleaned and hardwood floors polished. Clean windows on the outside and inside to let in as much light as possible.
Declutter and Organize
Go through your house and remove anything that doesn’t need to be there. This includes knick-knacks, extra furniture, too many books, piles of toys, duplicate electronics, and hobby supplies. Remove and store all family photos. You can store your clutter in neat plastic bins if you have a basement or storage area, or consider renting a storage unit. Then organize everything, especially closets. You may need to purchase closet organizers, but it’s worth it–buyers pay extra attention to closet space.
Light It Up
Lighting is very important when you’re trying to sell your house. When rooms look dark, potential buyers feel depressed. Rooms filled with light are inviting to buyers and give them positive feelings. Use a combination of natural light and lamps. Consider your window treatments. Are they too dark or cover too much of the windows? Replace dark drapes with light shades or breezy curtains. Place floor lamps throughout the house, and remember to turn them on before a showing.
Finally, Stage Your House With Decorative Touches
The magic of staging your house happens after cleaning, decluttering and painting by adding small details, matching colors, décor and organizing furniture.
While clutter gives buyers a negative feeling about your home, a few well-chosen decorative items can give them a positive feeling. Put attractive centerpieces on your kitchen and dining room tables to draw buyers’ eyes into the room. Add a clear glass bowl of oranges to your kitchen counter. Make your bathroom look like a spa with white towels and washcloths. Add a few throw pillows to all the beds in your house, and a few to your couch too. Leave your coffee table bare except for a bowl of sparkly marbles. In this case, less is definitely more.
By looking at your home through the eyes of a potential buyer, you can make changes to help your house to sell faster. Stage your house properly, and buyers will feel like they’ve found their perfect home. Then you can move on to yours.
Call Mona to stage your house for free when you’re ready to sell. 925-831-9615
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