Buyers want to imagine your house as their own. It’s hard for some people to picture how furniture will fit in certain spaces and they aren’t able to appreciate the size of rooms unless they are furnished. That’s why staging your home is so important.
Over 80% of buyers say that staging a home makes it easier for them to picture the house as their family’s future home. Also, staged homes spend on average 73% less time on the market compared to homes that are not staged.
Here are 5 ways that you can stage your home to help it sell faster.
Clean
The easiest and cheapest way to stage your home is to deep clean it from top to bottom. You want to make your house sparkle. A clean home makes people feel comfortable. Clean your windows to make your home seem brighter. Scrub the bathrooms including the grout, shower doors, mirrors, and remove any mildew.
Steam clean your carpets - especially if you have pets. Take a look at your hardwood floors. Do they need refinishing? If that’s not in the budget, a nicely place area rug can do the trick.
Don’t forget about your closets. Even if you shut your closet doors, people will look in your closets. You want your closets to look as big as possible, so make sure everything is organized and you don’t have any excess boxes or storage.
De-Clutter
If you want your home to show as well as possible, make sure your house is clean and free of clutter so your home can feel as big as it can.
Go through your home and determine what things - including furniture - you can live without while your home is on the market. Some professional stagers will remove up to 50% of the homeowner’s furniture to stage their home. If needed, you can rent a storage unit or try services like Clutter.com or Makespace.com in order to free up space in your house.
Also, buyers want to imagine the house as their own so as hard as it may be, take down any family photos. You can always decorate your new home with them.
Go Neutral
Paint large rooms in your house with warm, neutral colors. This can include shades of tan, beige, grey, and blue. A great tip to make your room color stand out is to paint your crown molding and baseboards bright white. This will make your room look very clean and professional, while making the paint color pop. If you want a splash of color, try painting small rooms like the powder room with a bold color.
Put away anything that is has a very unique style. Buyers may have different tastes than you. The point of staging is to get buyers to fall in love with your house and not be distracted.
Little things make a big difference
If you don’t have the budget or time to update an outdated kitchen, one of the simplest ways to do so is to update your cabinet hardware. You can find luxury style cabinet hardware at any hardware store and it’s a cheap and effective way to make a huge difference in your kitchen. Giving your cabinets a fresh coat of paint will also freshen up your kitchen at a low cost.
Bring some life into your home with fresh flowers on tables and bowls of fruit on the counter. You want to make your home looked lived in (but not cluttered). Adding flowers and fruit are simple and affordable ways to brighten up your home.
Finally, lighting can have a huge impact on the room so make sure you are using the correct wattage of light bulbs.
Stage the outdoors, too
Along with making sure your curb appeal is updated, you can also stage the outdoors. Put chairs and a small table on your front porch. Set up a dining area on your patio or deck with flowers, bright pillows, and outdoor furniture. Have a fire pit? Place chairs around it so people can imagine an evening relaxing with family and friends. Outdoor areas are great selling points for homes.
While staging may take some upfront work for you and your family, it will be worth it in the long run. You want to sell your home fast and get the most value for your home. Staging is a great and simple way to achieve that goal. For more advice on how to stage your home (or if you want some customized help), reach out to our team of staging experts.
