A key part of making sure your home appeals to as many buyers as possible while listed on the market is to stage every part of your property in an inviting way. Costly renovations aren’t the only way to make sure your house is buyer ready. Check out these tips for staging your home:
Start Outside
The first part of your home that needs to catch a buyer’s attention is the exterior. A home that is dirty, unkempt, and in need of repair will cause most buyers to turn up their noses and not bother going inside. Spend a weekend focusing on yard work and gardening. Keep your grass short and your flower gardens free of weeds. Repair broken shutters and power wash your siding. Dispose of old debris and junk piles that may have built up in your backyard as well. A tidy exterior will allow buyers to see the beauty of your home from the driveway and be enticed to enter.
Kitchens Sell Homes
The kitchen is likely the most used room in your home. It’s the hub of family gatherings and where buyers will place a significant amount of importance when deciding if your home is a good fit for them. Even the tidiest kitchens can use a thorough, deep cleaning before an open house. Dust the tops of cabinets and the refrigerator. Scrub the areas where your counters meet appliances as food and dirt tend to accumulate there quickly. Degrease the hood vent above your stove and wipe down the exterior buttons of your microwave. Replacing counter top appliances with decorative fruit bowls will help declutter the space and add brightness to the room. You want the kitchen to be a blank slate to buyers so remove personal items and pictures from every nook and cranny, including the magnets on your fridge.
Bathrooms Count, Too!
Bathrooms are typically underrated spaces that a lot of sellers forget about staging. If you’re currently working with a mismatched set of bathroom accessories, consider replacing them with a neutral, matching set to make the space feel cohesive. Hide away your beauty and hygiene products. Large laundry hampers and large trash cans should be replaced with smaller options or removed to maximize floor space. Pay attention to cleaning the grout between the tile and the edges around your tub and shower. Make sure the light bulbs are bright and adequately lighting the space to maximize appeal.
Bedrooms Should Be Bedrooms
Avoid confusing potential buyers by clearly defining the purpose of every room in your home. If your master bedroom is doubling as a personal gym, it’s a good idea to remove the equipment. Leave only your standard bedroom furniture for buyers to see. Having a bed, dresser, and nightstands in a bedroom space allows buyers to see the full size of a room. Putting too much into one area will leave them confused and feeling claustrophobic. Toning down extreme color schemes and decor will make sure that buyers aren’t distracted and turned off by your personal style.
Clean Out Your Closet
Potential buyers will be inspecting every nook and cranny of your home. Remove clutter and large storage boxes from your closets so that buyers can easily see how much space is offered inside. Now would be a good time to sort through your clothing and leave only the necessities hanging. Pack away or get rid of clothing and shoes that aren’t in use anymore and box up seasonal items. A lot of home sellers find it useful to rent a storage unit while their home is on the market to store closet clutter and family items that usually take up storage space within the home. Don’t forget about your garage, either! Clear out as much as possible so that buyers can envision themselves using the space to park their cars.
Living Room Touches
A family living room can be the “catch all” area where some families tend to accumulate the most clutter. Having several bookshelves filled to the brim with books, collectibles, and family photos prove to be a big distraction to buyers in this space. You want buyers to walk into the room, picture their family spending time together, and move to the next area. Having a lot of items for them to stop and inspect removes the feeling of a blank slate and leaves them picturing your family in the room instead of their own.
Arrange your furniture in a way that promotes conversation and balances the room. Remove large furniture pieces, like pianos and china hutches, to maximize the amount of floor space a buyer sees. Adding in a few plants and switching out dark window coverings for lighter options will help liven up the area and give a fresh feel.
Your real estate agent is the best source of information about the local community and real estate topics. Give KAD and Co. Signature Properties a call today at 484-234-2341 to learn more about local areas, discuss selling a house, or tour available homes for sale.
