With the rapidly cooling weather, it’s finally the time of the year to curl up on your sofa and watch television. I love getting cozy with a peppermint mocha and watching home improvement, DIY and house flipping shows. They all start pretty simple, get a rundown house for cheap, demo –and then reno – that’s real estate lingo for demolition and renovation, open house and SALE! What I noticed after a few shows is how important STAGING is in selling the property. Here are 5 home staging tips that will help you sell.
1. Curb appeal
We hear this term time and again--what is it? It’s the feeling you get when you first look at the house. The listing might be an amazing property but with poor curb appeal, it might not hold a lot of value to the passerby. Here’s the first step—clean the yard, all the leaves and the pathway leading to the listing. Have a porch? Add some furniture You could also do seasonal themes. How about some carved pumpkins? It’s almost Halloween!
2. Nose before the eyes
Make sure the house is smelling clean and fresh before a showing. If you are showing an inhabited property, remember to take out the garbage! You could also use a mild air freshener. Remember, no one likes to smell yesterday’s tilapia dinner or smelly teenager laundry.
3. Now the eyes
Do not bring out the Elk head! Be minimalistic and try not to overdo. You are staging a house to appeal to the masses, putting too much furniture in or being too bold might not be the way to go. Use neutral or bright colors and open all the windows to let natural light in. Clean all the appliances and the washer/dryer. Crumbs on the cooking range are not what people want to see. Bonus tip to make rooms look big:
- Paint the ceiling – it opens up the room and creates the illusion of height.
- Put in mirrors – it not only reflects the light; it makes the room look bigger.
4. Personal spaces
Bedrooms and bathrooms shouldn’t look like someone just stepped out for a minute. Make sure you stow away all personal items such as robes, toothbrushes and loofahs. No one wants to get familiar with a stranger’s personal routine.
5. Don’t forget the basement
I always see the basement as a moldy, damp, smelly dungeon and most people forget staging it. Believe it or not, prospective buyers will judge the health of the home by looking at the basement. These are also great areas for the kids or as a family room. Remember to clean the furniture and air out the rooms. Try all these quick and easy steps to stage your next home. So go ahead and have some fun decorating the homes. If you have any other neat staging ideas, let me know in the comment section below!
