10 Staging Tips to Sell Your Home—Fast.
Presenting your home at its best is critical when selling your home. The goal with staging a home is to allow buyers to envision themselves living in your house. You want them to see your current house as THEIR future home.
Staging a home is not as daunting a task as you may think. At times, it’s a thrilling and creative task and it’s something we enjoy helping our clients with. We can also provide turn-key staging solutions for empty homes, or homes in need of a style update for more mass appeal.
We’ve compiled a list of the top 10 staging tips that will help get your home sold fast, for top dollar:
Curb Appeal
As the saying goes: “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression”. Make a positive impression from the moment a potential buyer first drives by. Adding potted plants and flowers, power-washing patios and walkways, weeding the garden, edging, and mowing the lawn all help make your home appealing. Larger ticket curb appeal items that provide good ROI for older homes include a new front door, new garage door, and updated exterior lighting fixtures.
Squeaky Clean
Pretend that your mother or mother-in-law is coming for a visit. Mop, dust, vacuum, wash windows, wipe down baseboards. Remember that people may look in your closets and kitchen and bathroom cabinets, so make sure things are orderly and clean. Also, pay particular attention to odors. It’s good for your home to smell clean, but don’t overdo it with heavy fragrances or air fresheners.
Set a Mood with Color and Light
Colors are very personal. Neutralize strong colors for the broadest appeal. A neutral home appears larger and has less chance of distracting a buyer or turning someone off. Remember that lighting is one of the most effective way to set a mood. When showing your home, turn on lights and open blinds strategically to make sure there’s sufficient natural light throughout the home.
Depersonalize and Declutter
A cluttered home will surely distract potential buyers. You want to show your home, not your stuff. Too many personal items on display such as photos, collectibles, awards, and other knick-knacks will make it difficult for buyers to see past your personal style. Take yourself out of the picture, and allow buyers to imagine themselves in your home.
Consider replacing or removing furnishings
Think about removing worn or outdated furnishings and get rid of extra pieces that consume space. The Tom Team will consult with you regarding design direction and can provide rental furnishings to create an inviting home with broad appeal to a wide range of buyers.
Evaluate artwork
Make sure any artwork you have on display is properly hung and sized appropriately for its wall space. A well-concieved gallery wall can be used to add a splash of interest without creating clutter.
Make easy repairs
Repair squeaky and poorly aligned doors. Touch-up or patch and damaged moulding and walls and repair or replace broken fixtures. Swap out old stained switch plates and outlet covers.
Apply a fresh coat of paint
Repainting is one of the best bangs for your buck that will quickly refresh a dull, dated room. Neutral, subtle colors are best when selling. Choose light gray, off-white, beige, or taupe for living spaces and a neutral green or blue for bathrooms to give a classic look.
Don’t forget the floors
Remove or replace of worn carpet, and consider refinishing heavily worn hardwood floors. An inexpensive new area rug is a quick fix and can disguise the look of old floors.
Spring for new light fixtures
Renew the look of the room by replacing old or dated light fixtures. Lighting fixtures are not as expensive as you might think, and they make a big impact.
