Home staging prepares a home for the selling process. It makes your home look more attractive and functional, while highlighting some of its best features.
Follow these home staging tips to make a great first impression on potential homebuyers, to make your home look more appealing, and to sell your home fast for the highest possible selling price:
- De-personalize your home by putting away your personal photographs and family pictures.
- Remove any objects that convey strong political or religious beliefs.
- Air-out your home before viewings to eliminate any pet, smoke, or cooking odors.
- Re-stain or refinish your kitchen cabinets if they are still in good condition and do not need replacing.
- Make sure all countertops, sinks, and appliances in the kitchen are cleaned.
- Be sure all showers, bathtubs, and sinks in your bathrooms are scrubbed and cleaned.
- Leave an open book on a couch in your living room to create a relaxing atmosphere.
- Rearrange your living room furniture in a symmetrical arrangement.
- Rearrange furniture to make your rooms look more spacious and comfortable.
- Remove pieces of furniture that block walkways.
- Set the dining room table with attractive linens and dishes.
- Fix any non-working electrical outlets.
- Make sure to leave all your bedroom closets clean and tidy. A good rule is to keep your closets ¼ full.
- Complete any repairs required to windows, siding, fences, garage doors, and the driveway.
- Update your home flooring if needed. Hardwood floors are a good choice for adding value to your home.
- Consider repainting your home with neutral colors to make it appealing to the highest number of potential home buyers.
- Make sure your home online listing includes professionally taken photographs, which make your home look appealing, and makes it easy for potential home buyers to understand the layout of your home.
- Remove all kids and pet toys before any home showings.
- Make sure pets are not present during a home showing or an open house.
- Add attractive wall mirrors to make dark rooms seem brighter and small rooms appear larger.
- Highlight your home’s best architectural features, such as a fireplace or window bay.
- Open your window treatments before home showings to make sure there is sufficient natural light throughout your home.
- Incorporate the elements of feng shui into your home staging to help bring good Chi energy into your home and to help sell your home faster.
- Use the demographics and the lifestyle of your community to target buyers with your home staging when appropriate. If the demographics indicate that your home will attract more young buyers then you should target young buyers with your home staging. If the demographics indicate that your home will attract more mature buyers then you should target mature buyers with your home staging.
- Use demographic targeting appropriately so you do not alienate potential home buyers outside of your target demographic.
- Replace your mailbox, house number and exterior lighting if they look dated, are broken or rusted.
- Boost your home’s curb appeal by replacing the front door hardware if it is outdated.
- Enhance your home’s exterior with brightly colored flowers, perennial plants, and inexpensive evergreen shrubs.
- Repair any damaged boards on your deck or patio.
- Repaint or stain the porch or deck flooring as needed.
- Maintain your lawn and garden. Your front lawn should look well maintained and healthy.
- Replace your roof shingles if they are starting to curl up or coming loose.
- Make sure your walkways and porches are swept clean. Garbage cans, compost containers, and recycling bins should be kept out of sight.
- Be sure your driveway is in good condition. If it’s paved, consider adding a top coat of sealer.
- Make sure the lawn is regularly cut and the leaves are raked during the spring, summer, and fall. Remove any weeds and re-seed the lawn where required.
- Water your lawn and plants regularly to keep them looking their best. Your lawn should look alive and healthy.
- Make sure the driveway and all walkways are clear of snow and ice in the winter.
- Make sure your front entrance feels warm and inviting.
- Maintain your front yard curb appeal according to the season. For the spring, summer, and fall seasons you can plant some attractive annuals or perennials in flowerbeds. During the winter season add large pots of hardy winter plants on your front porch or entry way or an attractive seasonal wreath on your front door.
Visual impact is what sells a home both inside and outside because within the first few seconds of walking into a property, buyers form an opinion and decide whether they want to buy the home or not.
Follow these home staging tips to attract the attention of homebuyers, to shorten your home's time on the market, and to sell your home for the best price.
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