Selling your home is a process in itself; home staging can help you sell your home quickly and eliminate some difficulties that come when selling your house. Yes, you will need to clean, de-clutter, paint, repair the house to get it ready to sell. However, staging is what you do after all of that; it’s about the small details. It draws attention to the space to make people want to stay there longer. It’s the process of creating a space in your house for potential buyers to come in and be able to visualize it as their own. It is more than just cleaning and decorating. Home staging will make your home look bigger, lighter, cleaner, and better. It will make others want to purchase your home. Here at Community Lending of America, we have come up with a few easy ways to stage your home like a pro.
Get Rid of Clutter
An essential task when staging a house involves purging and cleaning. The cleaner less cluttered the house, the bigger it looks. Remove odds and ends and personal items from all surfaces like dressers or countertops. Try not to have family pictures out because it can deter the potential buyer from being able to envision the space as their home. As much as possible, try not to store the items you take down in closets because potential buyers usually look in those, and the emptier the closet, the roomier it will appear. If you can box up spare belongings and get them out of the house, that is the best option.
Once the clutter is gone, it’s time to deep clean. Open the windows and air out the entire house. Keep in mind that prospective buyers could have allergies, so try to eliminate as many allergy triggers as possible- scented candles, air fresheners, pet how air, etc. If you have room in your budget, consider hiring a professional to clean your home so that you have less to do and can be confident it will sparkle.
Light and Bright
Buyers are drawn to bright rooms, so lighting is an essential part of staging a house. Optimal lighting can be achieved by opening your blinds and pulling back your curtains. You can also add quality aesthetic to the brightness by making sure any light fixtures are up to date or look appealing. Make sure to dust any lampshade or remove any that look worn and dated. You can also figure out what lighting temperature looks best in your room by replacing light bulbs. A rule of thumb is, the whiter the light, the more it will create the illusion of daylight. These are all reasonably affordable ways to brighten up your room.
Important Rooms First
Staging your home can get pricey—renting furniture, or removing some, which can require a storage unit, can all be a considerable cost in selling your house. If you don’t have the time or money to stage your entire house, you can still make a lasting impression by picking the most important rooms that you want to stage. The living room is the most important space to stage. Buyers have reported to agents that it makes a big difference if the living room is staged beautifully. Next on the list of importance to stage is the master bedroom then the kitchen. Any extra bedrooms can be your last priority.
Remove and Re-arrange
The bigger you can make your house appear, the better. A general rule of thumb is to remove half your furniture. We know if you’re still living in the house, this could be difficult, but it could be worth it to store in a space or with a family member especially if some of your furniture is worn or stained or bold and eccentric. Even though people can tell themselves that they will have different furniture, it can be difficult to imagine yourself in a new house if you’re distracted by furniture that doesn’t fit your style. If you’ve already moved, you can always rent furniture for a month for people to be able to envision what the room could look like instead of it being empty.
After you’ve settled the furniture that is staying, position couches, chairs, and tables away from your walls, this design technique is called “floating” the furniture and can make the room appear bigger than it is. Center the space with an area rug, even if the room has carpet because it creates a cozy, inviting space, where people could see themselves chatting with company.
Curb Appeal
The outside of your house is the first thing that people are going to see when they pull up in your driveway. What they see is called curb appeal, and it can make or break a potential buyer’s first impression. A few simple things you can do to improve your curb appeal include:
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- Power-wash the outside of your home and sidewalks.
- Mow the lawn and trim any overgrown bushes or greenery.
- Plant flowers.
- Put a welcome mat and potted plants on your front porch to create an inviting atmosphere.
- Clean Windows
- Make sure your house number is easy to find and read
- If you have space for it, include outdoor furniture.
Extras
Once you’ve staged your home to look the way you want, you can add a few extra finishing touches. Fresh flowers, a warm plate of cookies on the kitchen counter, stylish towels in the bathroom, all catch a potential buyers eye. If you’re still living in your home while selling it, you can keep your extras in a closet so that they’re safe but easily accessible if and when your real-estate agent calls saying that someone wants to look at your house.
Now that you know how to stage a house, you could have your home sold in no time. We’d love to hear the things you have done to stage your home and ways that this blog post helped you. Happy home staging, community!