Top 3 Tips on Staging a House
If you want to increase the chances of getting the highest sale price for your home then these top 3 tips on staging a house is for you!
Staging a House Tip #1. De-clutter
Every real estate agent will tell you to de-clutter when preparing to sell your house. Breaking that down into practical steps is key to avoid getting overwhelmed in the midst of making a life change such as selling your home and moving. Here are some practical strategies on how to de-clutter and prepare your home for sale.
The first step is to embrace the fact that you have decided to move. This decision means that you are moving into something fresh and new, even if it may seem scary and intimidating. The sooner you can mentally get excited about the new season in life you are about to enter the sooner you will be able to gather the energy it will take to get the packing process started.
Start packing early. Pack room by room. Attack one room at a time. Typically you will want to give yourself a week per room of packing before listing your home for sale. This way, especially if you have a full time job, you can dedicate part of your weekend to packing. If you are on a tighter sale schedule then calculate two to three rooms per week and plan to include your evenings in the packing extravaganza.
As you move through the packing process you de-clutter. This is a great opportunity to go through everything and decide what you want to do with your household items.
Gather boxes and packing materials for items you will move and keep, trash bags for things to throw away and bags or boxes for things to give away. As you pack a room place every item into one of the three categories; keep, trash or give away.
Pack everything in a room that you can live without for a short time. Be sure to include all small wall hangings and every keep sake and knickknack. Throw away everything that you no longer want and that you can’t give away. Put every item you don’t want but can give away into the charity box or bag.
As soon as your done with a room put the categorized items where they belong. Don’t delay. Take the charity items to a drop-off location. Put your trash bags out in your trash bin. Don’t leave any of these items hanging around or they may make their way back into your packed items. In most cases you won’t miss anything you throw away or give away. You’ll feel relieved that you don’t have so much stuff that isn’t really needed to take care of or clutter up your new home. Remember, this is a fresh new season.
Now is also the time to assess your furniture. In many cases it will make your transition a lot easier if you can sell or give away old and outdated furniture. These will hinder the sale of your property and you will want to clear them out before the home listing photo shoot. Take pictures of all furniture items you think you can part with and list them on craigslist or take them to a consignment store as soon as possible.
If they are listed on Craigslist then update all of the listings every Thursday with an incrementally lower price until they sell. The sooner you get your furniture available to sell the better. To get a good price for your furniture if can take several weeks to attract buyers, especially if you are starting your initial sale price too high which is very common for people that may have sentimental value for their furniture.
If your listing schedule is tight be sure to list your furniture as low as possible to move it out. One advantage about selling your furniture on Craigslist is that someone else comes and moves it out for you – one last thing you need to worry about when moving. However, if home security and privacy is a higher priority then you will want to have your furniture delivered to a consignment store so that you do not have to deal with strangers coming to your home.
In either case the furniture will be cleared out which will showcase your home more effectively to potential buyers and help get your home ready for the listing photo shoot.
We include a professional 3D virtual tour photo shoot with every home listing! Schedule your free Home Listing Action Plan consultation to get started.
Staging a House Tip #2. Pre Listing Clean
After you have packed a room it’s a good idea to give it a scrub. If you focus on just one room at a time it makes this effort more manageable instead of trying to tackle the whole house. After you have packed everything but the furniture in a room be sure to clean the windows, wipe down any remaining furniture and deep clean the floors. Depending on the privacy of your property it is ideal to take down any draperies and curtain rods.
Other items to deep clean include ceiling and light fixtures, hardware, walls, cabinets, baseboards, counters and built in shelving. You don’t want potential buyers to walk into your home, look at a room only to notice the ceiling fan is caked with dust. It will communicate to them that everything else in the home is also dusty.
Deep cleaning the floor is a great way to help remove odors from your home especially if you have pets. Be sure to include a deep clean to any grout you have. In addition to deep cleaning your flooring, place some plugins throughout the house.
After selling or removing all furniture that you don’t have to live with while you’re preparing to move and packing it’s time to paint! A fresh coat of paint throughout your home will increase the appeal of your home. Painting will cover holes, nicks and blemishes that are on your walls and baseboards.
We include a professional home cleaning with every home listing! Schedule your free Home Listing Action Plan consultation to get started.
Staging a House Tip #3. Pre-Listing Landscape
If you have more than one person packing and preparing your home for sale it’s a good idea to set someone to work on the outside. You will want your yard trimmed, cut and cleaned up. Remove any and all trash or old objects. Get rid of or move out old patio furniture. Clear out as much undergrowth and wild bushes that are near your home.
Be sure to have clear edging around your home that is nicely landscaped with mulch and healthy plants, shrubs and flowers. Pay extra attention to your front porch and front walk-way. This is what is going to make the first impression. Power wash the front porch, front door and all front windows. Power wash your current patio furniture if it is in near new condition. If not, sell or move it to storage and replace with a new set. Include a new welcome mat and two nice pots with fresh plants and flowers. Don’t forget your mailbox. If it’s old or outdated replace it. Be sure the numbers are nicely and clearly displayed.
As you landscape be sure to check your drains. If any drains are not funneling water out and away from your home now is the time to fix those. If you don’t potential buyers will inevitably request to have them fixed or request for a discount in the sale price to compensate for the repair. In many cases directly the water flow away from your home is an easy fix.
A little planning and strategy goes a long way. Get your Home Listing Plan of Action scheduled today to get this process started.
