Home Staging Ideas for a Quick Sale

Five easy staging tips from our relocation experts

When you have made the decision to sell your home, you naturally want to complete the sale as quickly as possible and get the highest price you can in the process. To achieve these goals, you must make the home you love appeal to people from all walks of life. This is easier than it sounds. All it takes is a little time and a small investment of money to stage your home for buyers. In the end, your reward will be well worth your efforts.

Step 1: Be your own critic

You love your style, but your goal is to attract multiple buyers who may have different tastes. Take a good look around your home and decide what makes it most attractive to others. Ask a friend or relative or even your trusted realtor for their opinions as well. You want to highlight your home’s best features. If everyone loves the kitchen, or the sunroom, or the big basement, you know you need to make those areas look even better. If you have a great fireplace or impressive front door, a fresh coat of paint or good cleaning and the addition of a large wreath or piece of art will make these areas stand out more. Devise a plan for each room. This is also when you must identify necessary maintenance and cosmetic issues such as leaky faucets, discolored ceiling tiles, cracked glass or rust stains in your bathroom. These all need to be taken care of so buyers have confidence in the quality of your home.

Step 2: Clean and Declutter

Cleaning is perhaps the most important action you can take when preparing a house for sale. Buyers want to know that you have taken good care of this house. If it is not clean, they will suspect more important maintenance has also been neglected. Take the time and effort to spring clean every room. If you do this once, then it is only a matter of simple daily pickup to keep it looking nice. If you must, it is worth hiring a cleaning company to help with this step. Do not forget your windows during this process. Natural light is a selling point, so you want each room to have clean, bright windows letting the sunshine in as much as possible.

Decluttering means it is finally time to go through all the piles and closets and look under beds and on countertops. Get rid of anything you no longer need or box it up nicely for storage. Clear countertops and clean closets help buyers see the potential for storage and ample space.

Step 3: Paint

You do not have to paint every single room in your home, but it is a good idea to freshen up areas you can and cover bold paint colors with more neutral tones. Most people want to put their own stamp on a home’s decorations, and a neutral palette helps them to see the possibilities. A fresh coat of paint is a relatively inexpensive way to revitalize a room and make it more attractive.

Step 4: Accessorize

A good way to add some personality to a home without overwhelming buyers is to add some cute accessories in each room. Bright new pillows, fresh flowers and plants, and a new bedspread are all homey, attractive details most buyers appreciate. You can also set your dining room table and add a lovely floral centerpiece, making potential buyers imagine themselves successfully entertaining in the space.

Step 5: Curb Appeal

At the very least, clean up that yard and make sure your lawn is mowed. Some time and money spent towards weeding or adding fresh mulch and new plants will also be well spent. Potential buyers often do a drive-by before even considering stepping foot inside your home. If they do not like what they see on the outside, they aren’t going to go in for a closer look.

Staging a home is not as daunting as it sounds. If you take the time to thoroughly examine each room, some simple changes can make a huge difference. It will take some time and preparation, but your quick sale and elevated price will make your efforts worth it in the end.