Successfully staging your home for open houses is vital for selling your home within a reasonable time and getting top dollar for it. It’s especially important to be thoughtful about how you stage your home if you are listing it yourself and don’t have a real estate agent guiding you through the process. Either way, you want to make sure your home is staged well in order to have a successful selling process.
Here are 5 essentials for preparing for a successful home staging:
- De-clutter and depersonalize
- Maximize curb appeal
- Emphasize your home’s best features
- Create sense appeal
- Make kitchens and bathrooms spotless
You want your prospective buyers to be able to picture themselves living in your home. Portraits of your own family living in the home will interfere with this. Also, generally de-cluttering your home is essential. You want prospective buyers to project their own idea of how they would personalize the house. Having your own personal stuff lying around will get in the way of this as well.
Maximizing curb appeal is all about making your home as attractive as possible from the outside. Often, the cheapest and easiest way to spruce up the face of your home is to give it a thorough cleaning using a power washer. Landscaping is also an easy and highly effective way to make your home more attractive. A freshly cut lawn and lush garden will go a long way.
Think about your home’s best features and make sure they are evident. If your home has a great view, make sure the blinds are open. If your home has a wood burning fireplace, make sure it is fully functional and stack some freshly cut wood beside it. If you have hardwood floors, give them a fresh polish and remove any rugs covering them.
Appealing to people’s senses and emotions can go a long way in giving them a positive view of your home. For example, baking fresh cookies will create an irresistible smell and warmth and give your house a distinctly homey feel. Lighting some scented candles may be less effective but will work in a pinch. We also recommend you turn on all lights and open all the blinds to give your home a happy, upbeat ambiance.
Your kitchen and bathrooms should be squeaky clean. Seeing someone’s dirt and grime can be extremely off-putting. This is the last thing you want. You might even consider hiring a professional cleaner to get the job done right. This small expense will more than pay for itself by helping your house appeal to a wider audience.
When it comes to getting your home ready for an open house, the little things can make a difference. Keep in mind that you are competing in against potentially hundreds of homes in your market. Many of these people will have also taken the time to stage their homes properly. Some of the tricks contained in these handy tips could be what you need to tip a prospective buyer in your favour!