11 Tips for Staging a Home for Sale

Home staging is one of the best ways to sell your home faster and for more money. It’s a method to highlight the most impressive assets of the home as well as let the potential buyers imagine themselves living in the home.

We have the top home staging tips that will help your home sell at the top of its game.

1. Deep Clean

A clean, fresh house sells the best. Think of going above and beyond your normal yearly cleanout. Every inch of your home should shine. This helps potential buyers see that you care for your home. If you don’t dust the blinds or leave cobwebs in the corners behind the doors, you’re missing out on crucial places that need to be cleaned. Clean like you’ve never cleaned before. You’ll feel better about your home while you’re still in it as a bonus.

2. Rearrange Furniture

It’s important that potential buyers are able to walk through your home without running into a lot of furniture. There needs to be as much open space as possible. This also helps people visualize their own furniture in the home. Rearrange furniture so it looks minimal, but still is functional. This gives the space an open, clean feel. Make sure to put away any damaged or oversized pieces of furniture. 

3. No Clutter

No one wants to walk in a home overwhelmed by all the stuff. They want to see the exact home so they know if it’s right for them. By taking out clutter, you are making your home look bigger and cleaner. You can easily pack up your things and put them in storage. This means taking out your seasonal clothing, mounds of toys stacked in a corner, papers you’ve saved promising you’ll go through them one day, and random shoeboxes sitting in your closet. Buyers will go through your storage places looking for how much room they’ll have for their own clutter. 

4. First Impressions

Potential buyers pull up in front of your home. They all have a first impression. Remove any clutter from outside as well as seasonal decor. Scrub off any dirt on the front door or porch of your home. Add a cute doormat and simple decor on the porch. The space should be simple, yet add warmth to the exterior of the home. Always make sure your lawn looks great. This helps buyers see that you care about the home.

5. Address Upgrades With Your Realtor

Talk to your realtor about any upgrades you’ve done to your home. You’ll want to showcase these upgrades in the marketing materials for your home. You may have done custom tile work, installed granite counter tops and/or put in new light fixtures. 

Anything that sets your home aside from looking like the rest of homes for sale is a marketing gem. People usually want a home that has character. They want the upgrades that make this home better than the last one they looked at. Your realtor will know how to shine the most light on these upgrades.

6. Marketing Preparation

Your home should be prepared before you send anything to marketing. You’ll need professional photographs that make the home look like it’s in a magazine. Direct mail postcards will be a great way to get the word out on your home. Places like Wise Pelican focus on postcard templates for real estate complete with beautiful, detailed photographs of your home. This helps the home sell faster at a better price. Marketing is the number one thing when it comes to selling your home. Postcard templates for real estate are a great first step in marketing your home. If marketed correctly, you’ll have people beating down your door to get inside.

7. Take Out Personal Items

Home staging is all about helping a prospective buyers imagine themselves living in this home. They cannot do this if there are photos of your family everywhere. Your home should be a blank canvas for them. Take out any personal items like photos or artwork that isn’t basically neutral. Personal touches are perfect for your own home, but aren’t good when trying to sell it. If you have toiletry items all over your bathroom sink, clean them up. This may seem strange as you walk around your home feeling as if you’re in a museum, but it’ll pay off in the end.

8. Lighten Up

Darkness means depression. You don’t want a potential buyer to feel depressed in your home. Let in the light. Open all of the blinds. Turn on the lights throughout your home in all areas. This will help it seem warm and welcoming. Along with the actual lights, try to put up any dark decor. It’s important that the home has a light, happy feel. Use as many neutral colors as possible when staging your home. You may love a black and white room, but a potential buyer might feel the darkness takes away from the home. 

9. Repairs

This is the perfect time to repair any of the little things that drive you mad in your home. The scratches, holes and problems in your home that need help can be tackled quickly during home staging. Get out your caulk, spackle and eraser pad and go to town. You should also touch up any areas of paint that need it. This goes for both the inside and outside of the home.

10. Sweet Scents

While you don’t want a home’s scent to overwhelm a potential buyer, you do want them to remember a pleasant smell in your home. You should deep clean to kick out any of the bad odors first. Then you want to always take out your trash. Install scented plug-ins and plug in warmers with wax melts throughout the home. 

11. Go Fresh

You can place flowers and plants in your home to give it a boost of freshness. Since you don’t want clutter, don’t put too many together in a room. You can place large, bright flowers in central areas. Succulents are easy and look minimal in rooms. A potted plant in a corner is always a winner. If you don’t like real plants, it’s even easier to buy some pretty fake ones.

Summary

Home staging doesn’t have to be difficult or require spending thousands of dollars. As long as you make smart decisions and take the time, your home will look perfect for staging. Once you finish, you can sit back and relax and let your shiny home do all the work for you. You can also contact some professionals like Toronto Home Staging Company for they can do the home staging preparation for you without any hassle.