Home Staging Tips #1: “This is not my home”

The very first thing a seller needs to do to get ready mentally is to disassociate yourself with your home. This can be quite difficult if you have raised your family in your home, or you are selling your parent’s or close relative’s home, but technically when you put your home on the market it no longer belongs to you. Picture yourself handing over the keys to the new owner. Now, take a deep breathe and click here to learn how to get started preparing your home to sell.

Every seller wants her home to sell fast and bring top dollar. Does that sound good to you? Well, it’s not luck that makes that happen. It’s careful planning and knowing how to professionally spruce up your home that will send home buyers scurrying to make you an offer. Here is how to prep a house and turn it into an irresistible and marketable home.

Time Required: Seven to 10 Days. These tasks will seem less daunting if you allow yourself a reasonable timeframe and tackle one project at a time.
Here’s How:

1. De-Personalize

Pack up those personal photographs and family heirlooms. Buyers can’t see past personal artifacts, and you don’t want them to be distracted. You want buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls, and not focus on your family instead of your home.

2. De-Clutter!

People collect an amazing quantity of junk. Consider this: if you haven’t used it in over a year, you probably don’t need it. If you don’t need it, why not donate it or throw it away?
• Remove most of your books from bookcases.
• Pack up collectibles and knickknacks.
• Clean off everything on kitchen counters.
• Put essential items used daily in a small box that can be stored in a closet when not in use.
• Lock up personal information i.e. check books, bank statements, legal documents, etc.
• Think of this process as a head-start on the packing you will eventually need to do anyway.

3. Rearrange Bedroom and Bath Closets and Kitchen Cabinets

Buyers love to snoop and WILL open closet and cabinet doors. Think of the message it sends if items fall out! Now imagine what a buyer believes about you if she sees everything organized. It says you probably take good care of the rest of the house as well. This means:
• Eliminate “junk” drawers by organizing with drawer trays.
• Neatly fold towels and linens. Discard old and worn items.
• Neatly stack dishes.
• Turn coffee cup handles facing the same way.
• Hang shirts together, buttoned and facing the same direction.
• Line up shoes.

4. Rent a Storage Unit

Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room’s purpose and plenty of room to move around.

5. Make Minor Repairs

• Replace cracked floor or counter tiles.
• Patch holes in walls.
• Fix leaky faucets.
• Resurface an old porcelain tub if it is worn and stained.
• Fix doors that don’t close properly and kitchen drawers that jam.
• Consider painting your walls neutral colors, especially if you have grown accustomed to purple or pink walls.
• Replace burned-out light bulbs.
• If you’ve considered replacing a worn bedspread, do so now!
6. Make the House Sparkle!
• Wash windows inside and out.
• Rent a pressure washer and spray down sidewalks and exterior.
• Clean out cobwebs.
• Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks.
• Polish chrome faucets and mirrors.
• Clean out the refrigerator.
• Vacuum daily.
• Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures.
• Bleach dingy grout.
• Replace worn rugs.
• Hang up fresh towels.
• Clean and air out any musty smelling areas and pet odors.

7. Scrutinize

• Go outside and open your front door. Stand there. Do you want to go inside? Does the house welcome you?
• Linger in the doorway of every single room and imagine how your house will look to a buyer.
• Examine carefully how furniture is arranged and move pieces around until it makes sense.
• Make sure window coverings hang level.
• Does it look like nobody lives in this house? You’re almost finished!

8. Check Curb Appeal

If a buyer won’t get out of her agent’s car because she doesn’t like the exterior of your home, you’ll never get her inside.
• Keep the sidewalks cleared.
• Mow the lawn.
• Paint faded window trim.
• Plant yellow flowers or group flower pots together. Yellow evokes a buying emotion. Marigolds are inexpensive.
• Trim your bushes.
• Make sure visitors can clearly read your house number.

Vicki Grant, CEO
Grant Home Staging Services
grantstaging@gmail.com