The home real estate market is competitive, yet some homes may be on the market for weeks or months before finding a buyer. This can be particularly disheartening to motivated sellers, especially with top-tier properties worth millions of dollars. Home staging is a term used for a variety of techniques that might help you sell your home faster.
Here are a few staging tips you can use that may help to reduce the time between putting your home up for sale and handing the keys to a new owner.
Begin At The Front
Give the yard, driveway, and front of the house the top priority.
Yard – The lawn, hedges, and any border walls or fences should be clean and free of damage. Grass, trees, hedges, flower beds, and ornamental plants should look healthy and well-manicured. Anything that needs a fresh coat of paint, cleaning, or repair should get attention.
Driveway and gates – Clean the surface and repair any blemishes or damage. If there are lots of small repairs, consider replacing the driveway or implementing upgrades like edging your driveway. If there is a gate, make sure it doesn’t squeak or drag, and if there is a keypad or remote control, make sure it is up-to-date and fully functional. Get a new one if you are in doubt. The same goes for intercoms and other security features, if any.
Front of the house – Place potted plants on porches, patios, and gardens where they are visible from the road. Artificial plants may be controversial, but some successful home sellers have used them. Plants can go indoors, outdoors, around entrances, stairs, decks, lanais, pergolas, poolside, and anywhere else you need them.
Looking In & Out
Windows draw the eye and are sure to be checked out by anyone touring your home, so make sure they are clean and in excellent condition. Window boxes and professional window treatments may help.
Don’t forget that windows may be used by unscheduled visitors. While it may technically be trespassing, it is not uncommon for prospective buyers to take a peek, especially if they want to learn more about the neighborhood. Plan for this by making sure all the interior areas that can be seen are prepared in a way that complements the home and sparks a desire to see more. Use curtains and window treatments to control visibility.
The Entryway
Like the rest of the home, the front door and all other entry points should be clean and free of blemishes. Make sure everything operates without squeaking, sticking, or scraping. Pay attention to door frames and door jambs too, especially the parts that are visible only when the door is open.
Interior Views
Make sure all halls and rooms are uncluttered, clean, and depersonalized. Go through closets and make sure they are free of boxes and junk and well organized. Consider tablecloths for the dining room table and centerpieces for other tables, sideboards, and mantles. Use fresh flowers; for example, for planned showings and artificial fruit, bread, baked goods, or squash in kitchens.
Unused rooms can be turned into showcases that invite special purposes like a home office, media center, or exercise room, for example. Add a few specific pieces of equipment or furniture to telegraph the intent.
Paint walls with neutral colors like gray or beige to appeal to a wider range of people. Remove any art, family pictures, and religious symbols. Use mirrors in strategic areas to make rooms look bigger. These methods will help to make your home appear more customizable, enabling visitors to imagine how they might use these spaces.
Replace any fixtures that appear out of date and make sure all lighting is fully operational and illuminates rooms in a complimentary way. If a home has a unique feature that makes a good selling point, make sure to highlight it.
Kitchens & Bathrooms
Kitchens and bathrooms get a lot of attention. Make sure faucets are free of leaks and tile and grout work are spotless and in good repair. Sinks are especially important in both rooms and an upgrade can go a long way in boosting the appearance of these spaces.
Luxury sinks, showers, and tubs in the bathroom can turn it into a high point of the tour. Colorful porcelain or dual stainless steel combo sinks in the kitchen or food prep area may give those rooms instant appeal.
Bedrooms
Staging ideas for other rooms apply to bedrooms as well. Depersonalize and remove all unnecessary furniture to make the room look bigger. Bedroom closets are sure to get extra attention, so boosting their appeal with luxury closet door systems may be an excellent investment.
Every Home Is Different
Home staging is a broad term that includes many techniques, and each home is different. Cleaning and eliminating clutter may be the biggest things you can do when staging a home for sale, but those tips only scratch the surface. Some homes, for example, may require deodorizing due to pets, mold, or other factors. Some properties will have outbuildings that need attention.
Review the staging methods that have been used in your area before, and evaluate their effectiveness. Do your best, and solicit feedback from a third party, if possible. Getting this kind of unbiased advice will help you make your home look as appealing as possible to potential investors.
