10 DIY Home Staging Tips

18 May 2017

10 DIY Home Staging Tips

Spring market may be coming to an end, but the summer market will be just as HOT! It’s a proven fact that a staged home sells faster than a non-staged home. So, if you want to sell your home faster and for potentially more money, you’ll want to stage your home before you put it on the market.

Having a home that shows well gives you a huge advantage over homes that are cluttered and disorganized. Home staging allows the prospective buyer to see the opportunity within a home space. By removing clutter, organizing and re-designing the space your home will be buyer-friendly.

The great thing about doing your own staging is that is doesn’t cost much. With a little elbow grease and a few inexpensive additions, you make your home market-ready in no time.

Here are 10 things you can do to stage your home FOR SALE:

1. Clear away the clutter
   Purge what you don’t need or use! Remove items from all counter tops and surfaces. Pack up items and put them in storage while your house is on the market. This includes furniture, too. Move out any furniture that is crowding the space. You’ll be surprised at what you can live without for a month or two!
2. Clean and clean again
   A clean home is essential. Buyers don’t want to see a dirty bathtub or scuffed walls. Clean as if your mother-in-law was coming over and make sure your home shines from top to bottom!
3. Light It up
   Warm and welcoming lighting and increased wattage show off rooms in their best light. If you have a dark room, invest in a couple of inexpensive lamps and some brighter bulbs.
4. De-personalize your personal space
   No everyone has the same tastes. Remove personal items such as family photos and personal clutter. Paint walls a neutral color. You want buyers to view it as their home, not yours.
5. Show off your storage
   Clean out your closet and other storage spaces. The emptier they are, the more spacious they will appear. Closet and storage spaces sell homes!  If necessary, you can move excess items to an off-site storage unit.
6. Remove odors
   Give your home an inviting aroma by burning vanilla-scented candles or throwing some slice-and-bake cookies in the oven. You can also grind half a lemon in the garbage disposal to remove sink odors. If you have pets, make sure they are not present during showings and remove litter boxes and food.
7. Define your spaces
   Bedrooms = $. If you have a bedroom that you use as a home office or junk room, make it a bedroom again! You can do this inexpensively and quickly by using a double-height inflatable mattress and making it up as a regular bed.
8. Spiff it up
   Replace your towels with new crisp white ones (even if it’s only for showings), replace or clean curtains and window treatments, add mirrors to make the space look bigger and upgrade any old, dingy rugs or remove them and let your floors shine.
9. Picture perfect
   Most buyers today shop online before they look at a home in person. High quality, staged photos will drawer more buyers in.
10. Don’t forget the final touches
    Before any showing or open house, make sure that your staging efforts go the full mile to make your home inviting. These include fresh flowers, letting fresh air into the house so it isn’t stuffy, making the beds and putting new, plush, nicely folded towels in the bathrooms.

Simply follow these 10 tips and your house will be ready to sell! You’ll be happy you did!