Tips to Stage Your Home for a Quick Sale

Staging your home prior to sale is a crucial for impressing potential buyers. Though it may be a sellers’ market at the moment, that doesn’t mean you should take you home’s presentation for granted. With the proper dressing, your home will wow top buyers and could even command a higher asking price. Here are some tips to help ensure a quick and easy sale through thoughtful staging.

Curb Appeal

Your home’s exterior is the first thing prospective homebuyers will notice when they arrive at your property. From tidy landscaping to creative exterior design, there’s so much you can do to attract a buyer before they ever set foot inside your home. Catch up on our recommendations for making the most of your home’s curb appeal to help your outdoor spaces shine.

Clean, Clean, Clean

With curb appeal accounted for, the next obvious step in the staging process is to clean your house. While cleaning, imagine you’re preparing for a visit from an important figure such as a religious leader or a foreign dignitary—then clean some more. To truly prepare your home for a showing, your space should be cleaner than it has ever been while you were living in it. Spend time in every room, leaving no corner un-scrubbed.

Repair, Patch, Restore

With your home cleaner than it’s ever been, you can move on to tackling necessary repairs. If you’ve been in the space for a while there are sure to be a few nicks and gouges to address. Patch up those holes in the drywall, fix the dripping faucet, and tighten down those loose cabinet handles. Prospective buyers want to know the home they’re considering is in tip-top shape, so taking care of minor flaws now could translate to big bucks when closing.

Depersonalize

It will be impossible for potential buyers to picture their future in a new home if reminders of the current owner’s life are still visible. Stow away family photos, children’s’ toys, pet accessories, and other items that speak to your personal taste before showing your home. You should also consider discarding any pieces of damaged, outdated, or unsightly furniture at this time. In general, it would be wise to minimize the amount of furniture on display to better demonstrate room size and give buyers a chance to envision their own things in the space.

Change and Rearrange

Now for the real work of staging. With rooms decluttered, cleaned, and repaired, consider applying a fresh coat of neutral paint to the walls where needed. Move remaining furniture to the center of each room, optimizing your home’s walkability. Be sure to choose window treatments to allow plenty of light into the various spaces. Lastly, consider livening up the house with a few plants or pieces of tasteful (not too busy) art that compliment your staged home’s new, neutral looks.

Follow these tips and you’ll have a properly staged home to wow any potential buyer!