Whether on HGTV or a reality TV show about selling big-city real estate, you’ve probably seen home staging in action. For multi-million dollar mansions, home staging can often be the key to getting a house sold. The future owner is able to see designer furniture and accessories throughout the home and will be inspired by how the home could look.
Most of us don’t have the time, money, or desire to go to this level in selling our home. However, you can still give potential buyers the opportunity to imagine themselves at home in your home, thus increasing your chances of parking that SOLD sign in the front yard. Here are some simple home staging secrets that anyone can follow.
- Clear the Clutter – We’re willing to bet that even you don’t like to look at clutter in your home, so why would potential buyers want to see it? Buyers don’t expect to see a room completely empty – after all, they do realize that you still have to live there – but they do expect to be able to envision their furniture in your home. Keep everything in each room to the bare minimum while keeping the atmosphere cozy. It will not only look nicer, but will make the room appear larger.
- Take Down Personal Photos and Decor – Again, buyers want to be able to envision themselves and their family living in the home. That’s pretty hard to do when photos of your family are everywhere.
- Clean Up and Touch Up – Your home should always be in prime selling mode. That means that everything should be in place and clean until your home is sold. A good rule of thumb is to keep your home in a condition where it can be tidied up in 10 minutes or less. In addition to regular cleaning, the simplest touch ups can really make a difference. That means tightening up loose drawer handles and door knobs, patching up unsightly nail holes, touching up paint, replacing burned out light bulbs, and fixing minor issues that you know potential buyers will notice.
- Don’t Forget About The Outside – Sure, your home may look great on the inside, but if the outside is a mess you could very well turn potential buyers off before they’ve even pulled into the driveway. Mow the lawn, shovel, and rake regularly (depending on which season you’re dealing with), and keep your landscaping trimmed and looking fresh. Clearing the clutter applies to your patio, porch, or deck too.
- Take It To The Next Level – If you have a little more motivation or money to make bigger changes that will have more of an impact, consider repainting a room, swapping out light fixtures, arranging artwork in a more visually appealing way, rearranging furniture, replacing trim, or a number of other improvements. Any improvement you make is sure to be another step in the right direction to getting your house sold.