Staging a Home To Get A Better Sales Price
Staging a house is getting it ready to show to potential buyers. When staging is done well, a buyer’s interest in the home increases. Staging includes cleaning, getting rid of clutter, and adding some nice finishing touches. The idea behind staging is to get the potential buyers to imagine themselves living in the home.
If you want to sell your home fast and for a good price, here are some staging tips used by professionals.
Use a lot of “Elbow” Grease
Everything on the outside and on the inside of the house must be cleaned intensely. If you cannot afford to hire a professional cleaning company, you will have to do the work yourself.
Exterior
Clean the driveway, walkways, and any siding using a power spraying system. Clean the gutters. Make any needed roof repairs.
Make sure the house number is easy to read and illuminated at night.
Mow the lawn and replace damaged areas with new sod. Put garbage cans out of sight. Trim trees and bushes as needed. Remove any landscaping debris.
Repaint or stain the front porch. Use flowers that are in bloom and place them in the most attractive ways using pots. Wash all windows.
If the garage is packed with stuff, clean it out completely and put everything in temporary storage off-site.
Interior
Pack up about half of the stuff in the home, especially any personal items, but save the best neutral pieces to decorate the rooms.
A few books on a bookshelf are better than having it stuffed with old magazines. Closets should be neatly organized in a gender-neutral way and have 30% open space. This makes them look bigger.
Rearrange all the furniture to make it look inviting, but use only enough so the rooms do not look crowded.
Get rid of any mold or mildew in the bathrooms. A spray bottle filled with half bleach and the rest water works great for this. Remove all soap scum from glass shower doors by using a mixture of 10% muriatic acid and water. While doing this, be sure to wear safety gear like gloves and glasses and have plenty of ventilation.
Get rid of any bad odors, especially those caused by pets. Replace carpet as necessary to achieve this. It is better not to have pets in the house during the periods of showing the home to potential buyers.
Have nice odors throughout the house by using such things as fresh flowers, vanilla-scented candles, or cookies baking in the oven.
Repair and refinish any damaged flooring. Repaint rooms with neutral colors that appeal to as many people as possible and make sure each one has only one defined purpose.
Open the curtains to let as much sunlight come in and open the windows to let in fresh air (weather permitting).
To make a kitchen look new, repaint the cabinets and replace the hardware. Stainless steel covers are available to give appliances a new look.
Summary
If you put in the effort to make the house sparkle, smell good, and look great, you will be able to sell it for a better price.