We all have one chance at making a great first impression and it’s no different when it comes to selling our house. Potential buyers will often base their opinion on the first thing they see, and you need to make sure that your house is impeccable.
It goes without saying that you’ll want to stand out from the competition and every little trick can add a plus to your side. You need to show your house in its best state and these staging techniques can help you to bring out the best side of your home.
Get rid of the clutter
There’s no way you’ll be able to sweep your clutter under the rug when you hear the doorbell, so do this thoroughly before you welcome a realtor into your home. Even if your house is beautiful and furnished in the latest modern trends, messy rooms can destroy the good reputation.
To prevent this, go through every room and try to create a natural flow so people don’t step on your kid’s toys when you’re showing them your home. Apart from that, remove all unnecessary items from every corner of the house – extra blankets from under your coffee table, magazines in the living room, funny notes in the kitchen and other things.
Remove the personal touch
It’s great to see how you’ve furnished the house, but this can have its negative sides as well. People who are trying to visualize their family in your house won’t be quite able to accomplish that with your pictures hanging everywhere. Having something here and there to make it look comfy is great, but try not to overcrowd the space with too many personal items.
This can be hard for many people, as they can’t wrap their mind around the fact that they need to depersonalize their own home, but this is the right time to start thinking about the next place. Of course, this doesn’t mean there’s a need to remove some of the accessories and small furniture pieces potential buyers won’t mind.
Rearrange your furniture
Although you feel your current layout is the best, take into consideration that someone else may have another opinion. Most realtors suggest to home sellers that symmetrical arrangements work well with the buyers and this can come in pretty handy once you start staging your home. J
Just pull your furniture off the walls and create a great conversational area which is warm and welcoming. Tie the furniture together with some comfy round rugs and encourage everyone to sit down and imagine their life in your living room.
Small things like these can make a real difference and create a cozy feeling when people try to visualize themselves in a new home.
Keep it clean
You don’t need to be obsessed with cleaning everything, but it would be nice if you could pay more attention to dust in every room. Shining floors, clean counters and sparkling windows will make your house more appealing, and it will look like you’ve paid close attention to every detail. Before showing your home, just run your finger across all surfaces and clean them.
It would only take a minute, and you wouldn’t have to do that behind everyone’s back or have to avoid their looks when they see dust everywhere. Toss away all items that aren’t useful and create clutter, or just store them in your closet so at they’re out of sight.
Open up the space
If you have a big walk-in closet, open up the doors to create the illusion of a much bigger space. This will also show every asset of your house and all the additions to your rooms.
Before the meeting, open all the doors and curtains to let the light in – extra natural light will show your house in the most beautiful way and everyone will be able to see its glory.
Having great barn doors is a great option to connect your rooms in an interesting and creative way. This will create a natural flow and every potential home buyer will be able to see how your house functions. Making this connection throughout the house will also make the prospective buyers realize what they can change in every room and how they can add their own personal touch.
Add some final touches
After you’ve cleaned everything, don’t forget about the smell – buy some fresh flowers and place them in the living room and the kitchen. Apart from that, add some scented candles in every room but don’t light them up.
With everything set in the house, think about the outside too – mow your lawn, clean your driveway, de-clutter your porch and remove everything from your backyard. The most important thing when it comes to the outdoors is to make your entrance clean and simple. This is the first thing everyone sees and something that will strongly influence their first impression.
When you make everything sparkling clean and well-organized, leave your home. Leave it up to your realtor to walk the buyers through your house and answer their questions. You can pinpoint some major issues and advantages of the house so that your realtor knows how to make the pitch and market the property.
If you’ve done everything right beforehand, this is the time to sit back, relax and wait for the results. Try to accomplish everything from this list in advance and you’ll probably think of something else along the way. And, make sure you home is fully show ready before the listing photographs are taken to give your home maximum web appeal.
Other Home Staging / Preparation Resources:
- Sharon Paxson 10 Simple Home Staging Tips
- Maria Mastolonardo Why Your House Hasn’t Sold
- Ellen Pitts Make Your Home Look Like a Model
Professional Home Staging Tips to Get Top Dollar for Your Home is a guest post from Emma Joyce for Kevin Vitali of EXIT Group One Real Estate a REALTOR covering Essex County and Northern Middlesex County Massachusetts.
