If you are about to sell your home, you need to prepare it for the prospective buyer to come in and love it. Essentially, this is what staging is; making your home welcoming and inviting, so a prospective buyer sees it and actually falls in love.
Now, it is important to know that staging is actually optional. No one actually says that you need to stage your home compulsorily. However, its significance can’t possibly be overstated. Selling your home is no small feat, so you want to do as much as you can to ensure that you get as much money as you can for your home.
In order to sell your home quickly and at a good price, staging is key.
Potential buyers are looking for much more than just a building that they can live in. They are looking or a place to call their home; a place that fulfills their dreams of an abode, and somewhere that represents an upgrade in their lifestyle. By staging your home, you will be able to help them imagine their life in your home, and you can pitch why the house is the right property for them to buy as they take this next step.
Also, another importance of home staging is that buyers don’t want to see a home with work that still needs to be done. They want to see a house that is ready, and if they keep seeing issues, they would pretty much just pass on it.
How to Stage Your Home
If you are conducting this on a limited budget, then the best recommendation will be for you to focus on making the biggest improvements that you can. This means that you should focus on those areas of your home that will really matter when it comes to increasing the selling price of the property entirely.
These areas include the entryway and exterior (they form the buyers first impression), the kitchen, living room, bathroom, the master bedroom, and any outdoor living space that you have.
The kitchen might prove to be a tad difficult, because you want to ensure that all the appliances are functional and modern. If you can’t buy new stuff, then at least make what you have as clean as possible. No one wants to see spaghetti stains on your countertop or piles of crumbs on the toaster.
The same goes for areas such as your bathroom. All in all, you have to ensure that everywhere looks as good as new.
So, keep these tips in mind as well
Declutter the home
When it comes to clutter, the two biggest problems are the attention that they draw and the amount of space that they take. So, make sure that things are in their appropriate place. The buyers will be interested in the amount of space that you have (especially in areas which were designed to hold stuff, like cabinets and closets), so make sure that the biggest storage spaces are properly arranged as well.
Take your touches out
The point of staging your home is for the buyer to see himself or herself in the house easily. When everything has been personalized to your preferences, this becomes rather difficult. For this time, you will need to hide all refrigerator art or family pictures. Kids’ toys should be hidden as well.
Keep things fresh
Your children, your pets, old food, and a few other things that can cause odors need to be taken out. The smell of your home might not be so significant to you, but a potential buyer will notice. Make sure that everywhere smells good (or at least neutral).
Get some paint
If you have wallpaper in the house, it might not necessarily speak to the buyer. So, you might want to pull wallpaper down and just paint the walls instead. This way, the buyer can personalize the view of the house and better imagine the touches that they will make, if they purchase it.
Also, keep in mind that the proper color should be neutral and warm. It appeals to more people, and it projects a calming vibe. Great for your prospect of selling.
Consider the lighting
Your home has natural light, and you can always use that as an advantage. Open the curtains and blinds when the guests are coming in, so they can see how good it looks. As much as you can, do without the supplementary lighting.
Keep the furniture spot-on
The furniture is very important. It is what people are going to see first when they step into the living room. So, make sure that it fits the room well. Furniture that is too big will make the living room look much smaller than it is, and small furniture can make the room feel too spacious. Balance is key.
Pay attention to the exterior too
You might have gotten the interior all spruced up, but the buyer will see the exterior of the home as well, so make sure to tidy that up!
Make sure that hedges, the lawn, and other trees and plants are properly maintained. Remove any weeds, and make sure to wash the windows in order to brighten them. Check out the sidewalk as well, and see to it that it is clean and free of any obstructions or dirt. Get new doormats for the front door as well, and you can showcase your pool (if you have one) by making it fresh and clear.
Finally, you could try to create some sort of outdoor living space, such as a patio or deck. It is a great way to use the exterior of the home and make the buyer fall in love with it even more.
You could also throw in some final touches like cookies or apple pie to welcome the buyer as well.
