A Short Guide to Staging Your Home
Ideally, you want two things to happen when you sell your house: you want it sold quickly, and for at or above the asking price.
You achieve those goals by making your home as attractive as possible. Home staging is a process of highlighting your home’s assets and giving prospective homebuyers a chance to fill the space in with their own ideas. It should be clean, clear and fresh – what your home could look like, as opposed to what it does look like.
According to research done by Zillow, late spring is the ideal time to sell a home in North America if you’re looking for a speedy sale and maximum price. With late spring just around the corner, it’s time to get started selling. But before you put up that “For Sale” sign, read this short guide to staging your home.
Get Professional Help Decluttering
Prospective buyers need to be able to see the attractive features of a home; they need it to be clear enough that they can envision their lives there. That’s hard to do when there is clutter lying around.
To get started staging your home, contact a decluttering service like NEATSPACES that also has experience in home staging. They will help you organize your belongings, keeping your home free and clear of unattractive clutter. And they can also undertake special cleaning projects to deep clean your house for staging.
Boost Your Curb Appeal
First impressions aren’t only important when meeting new people – they matter a great deal to homebuyers too. From the moment a prospective buyer sees your house, they will be keeping a continuous (and largely subconscious) tally of everything right and wrong about the place. Their initial reactions are some of their most influential.
To optimize for first impressions, boost your curb appeal with a few simple tasks. For example:
- Plant flowering pots to give the exterior a lush, lively appearance.
- Hang clear, easy-to-see house numbers.
- Wipe your windows with a microfibre cloth.
- Power-wash your porch, driveway and (depending on the material) exterior siding.
A quality decluttering and cleaning service should be able to help with some of these tasks. Just ask them during your in-home consultation.
Let There Be Light
A dark, dingy room can be a turnoff for many homebuyers. Not only does low light make a room appear less spacious, but it also obscures features and assets you should be highlighting.
As you stage your home, let there be light. Switch your halogen bulbs to LED lights, favour light-coloured furniture and décor in your room arrangements, and keep windows open and unobstructed by treatments.
Follow Your Nose
You might be familiar with this old realtor trick: Bake a tray of cookies before a showing. It’s mostly a joke now, but the thinking behind it is still every bit as relevant. Mildewy, musty or otherwise unpleasant smells can form the backbone of a homebuyers overall negative impression. They may like the look of a place, but if it doesn’t smell good, they may unconsciously choose to pass.
Before showings, air out your home. Keep fresh flowers on the coffee table and – yes – even get into the habit of baking more often. Just make sure you do the dishes before the homebuyers arrive!
Selling season is right around the corner. To get the highest price for your home, stage it with the help of a decluttering service, heightened curb appeal, abundant light and pleasant smells.
