Staging a home is one of the most important parts of getting a house ready to sell. Not only do staged homes sell faster than their unstaged counterparts, but they often sell for more money.
If you’re ready to sell your home and want to make it eye candy for buyers, these are some of the biggest staging tips to follow.
1. Deep Clean the Property Inside and Out
The largest project you’ll have to follow is deep cleaning your property as much as possible. This means dusting from ceiling fans to floorboards and scrubbing any grime, dirt, and debris out of areas where they might have gathered. Areas where the sunlight hits should be cleaned more often, like a white shiplap wall that might collect noticeable dust quickly.
You should also focus most of your energy on the kitchen and bathrooms since these are the spaces buyers will notice dirt in before anywhere else. A clean home is a welcoming home.
2. Get Rid of Clutter and Depersonalize
Buyers don’t want to think about the previous owners when they purchase a property. Because of this, it’s vital that when you’re listing a home and taking pictures of it to sell, you avoid keeping any personal items out. This includes getting rid of family photos on the walls and putting away anything that could remind the buyers that this was someone else’s home until recently.
The best way to sell a property is to leave buyers convinced that they’re the first people to step into the house, even though they weren’t the first.
3. Give the Space a Fresh Coat of Paint
A fresh coat of paint can drastically transform a space in no time. Not only does fresh paint give you the chance to cover any pin or nail holes in the walls, but it also makes a space feel clean and fresh. You can also pick colors that would match well with how you want people to perceive the room. For example, a soft earthy green for the bathrooms can make them feel more natural and welcoming, and a light blue in the kitchen can make it feel like an ideal and soothing space to spend mornings.
4. Highlight Fantastic Details Throughout
Every property has key details that buyers would love if they knew they existed: so ensure that you’re making these pop! This means showing off the heated shower floor with a gorgeous pulled-back curtain and an updated switch for it. Generally, updating the light switches, door knobs, inserting replacement windows for yellowing ones, and faceplates throughout the property can give it a fresh look as well. Tons of tiny, updated details can add up into something stunning.
Make sure that if you’re adding any metal touches, you have them match and flow throughout the home to unite it and make it feel like one cohesive property. You can also do this with stains, ensuring that the stains you use in your furniture and flooring match the property well.
5. Ensure the Fantastic Outside Features Shine
The exterior of your home needs some love and care as well! There are a few ways you can do this, with the most important being that you should inspect your roof and siding. These major portions of the home are expensive to replace, and buyers aren’t going to want to consider buying a home if the wood shake roof doesn’t look incredible. If it’s within your budget, you should update these items if needed: the return on investment makes them worth it!
Another way to make your home’s exterior shine is to add outdoor lighting. This lighting will make your house look fantastic day or night and will draw eyes to the details, landscaping, and architecture. Beyond that, exterior lighting is a great security feature, since nobody wants to break into a home if they’re in the spotlight.
6. Rent Staging Furniture to Ensure It Looks Stylish
If your furniture is out of date or not what the average buyer is looking for, it’s a good idea to rent staging furniture from a company that knows what they’re doing. These companies can give you a layout that will guide buyers through the home and make them feel welcomed, pointing their attention to details like a high ceiling or a spacious bedroom.
Furniture staging can be expensive to rent, but the average staged home sells in less than two weeks, so it’s a worthy investment. You must take the time to pick a style that makes sense for your home, though, and avoid clashing with the layout and style of your property.
Your Home Will Sell in No Time
Whether this is your first time staging a property, or you’re simply looking for fresh tips and tricks to take it further, staging is the best thing you can do while selling a property. Follow some of these tips and buyers will start a bidding war in no time.
Sam Willis is a contributor to Innovative Building Materials. He is a blogger and content writer. Sam is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and architects discover materials and methods of construction that increase property value, maximize energy savings, and turn houses into homes.