Tips for Staging Your Home to Sell

De-Clutter your home
The first and most important task when staging a house will be getting rid of clutter. A clean and almost empty house will always make it look bigger. Remove personal items, photos, knick-knacks, and pieces of furniture that are not necessary to the room. It is good to keep a few items of furniture to identify the room and show ideas how to arrange the furniture, but not so much that it makes it look cluttered. Get rid of furniture that you won’t be moving with you, or store away furniture that will be coming to your new home but will not be needed for staging.
With the clutter gone, do a deep cleaning and make your kitchen and bathroom sparkle. Dust off the blinds, clean the windows and sills, clean carpets if needed. Open the windows and air out the house. Hire a cleaning company for a deep clean if you have it in the budget.

Paint
Another good idea is to paint the walls throughout the main living area one neutral color. Use a light gray or light greige color that will make your home look nice and bright and airy, and will make your house look bigger.

Brighten up your home
The lighting of your home is also important. Buyers typically like to see bright rooms. Open blinds and pull open curtains if someone is coming to see it. Turn the lights on throughout darker areas of your home. Maybe even put lighter bulbs in the light fixtures or lamps to make your home look nice and bright and airy.

Arrange furniture
The position of the furniture is also something to think about to make your home look its best. Position couches, chairs, and tables away from your walls. Anchor the space with an area rug, even if the room has wall-to-wall carpet. This creates a cozy, intimate space, ideal for chatting with friends and family.

Curb appeal
The exterior of your home is the first thing a potential buyer will see. Get them in the door by creating a nice exterior look. Here are a few easy things to do for the outside of your home.

• Power-wash your house and walkways.
• Clean your windows.
• Make sure your house number is easy to read.
• Mow the lawn.
• Trim shrubs and weed natural areas
• Plant flowers around a mailbox and put potted flowers by the front door to add color.

Add little extras
Some other nice little touches would be to put a bowl of fresh vegetables on the kitchen counter. Add a vase of fresh flowers to the entryway or living room. Put some scented plug-in air fresheners around the house, nothing too strong, perhaps a cotton scent or beachy scent, or an apple-cinnamon scent in the kitchen. It’s the next best thing to homemade apple pie!

If you are ready to buy or sell, call Mary Staton or Bert Ward - they’ll be happy to answer any questions.