It’s a tough time to sell a home. Prices are down, competition is up and mortgages are harder to come by. And buyers are being very selective. That’s why you need all the tips you can gather to get your home on their short list. Let me show you how to decorate and stage your home in a way that will help get it sold.
• Clear Out the Clutter
The number one thing you can do to help sell your home won’t cost you a thing. First and foremost, you need to de-clutter every room. Space is always a prized commodity and a room cluttered with knick knacks, stored items or a lot of personal belongings looks smaller to a perspective buyer.
The best advice from real estate agents and home staging professionals is to start by removing everything from the room – right to the bare walls and only put back what’s functional to the space. Then carefully add a few selective items for visual interest.
• Neutralize the Walls
While you have everything out of the room, it’s time to neutralize the walls. Using a neutral white or light tan shade of paint insures buyers can visualize their furnishings in your home and that leads to more sales in any market.
• Use One or Two Signature Pieces
This is the visual interest in each space. A signature piece can be a colorful piece of artwork or a large, decorative mirror which brings attention to the room. It’s safe to attract attention with one or two colorful signature pieces because the buyer knows they will be going when your clear out the home – which is quite different from a wildly painted or wallpapered wall.
• Just Add Plants
Plants bring a certain warm and sense of life to any space. A plant or two in each room can provide a homey feeling without a lot of fuss. And you can take the plants with you when you go.
• Make It Smell Good
They may not say it, but they can smell it – all of it. When you offer your home for sale, you need to remove all smells and sources thereof. The first order of business is a good cleaning to remove dust, mold or mildew that may have accumulated over the years in places you don’t usually see. In addition to freshly cleaned kitchens and baths, be sure to launder your linens and have upholstered items cleaned. These items can harbor many smells you have grown accustomed to; however, they could offend the sniffer of a potential buyer.
After cleaning, you can add a light hint of fragrance to the home – but, don’t overpower it with strong air perfumes. A simple fragrant candle in the entry or a batch of fresh-baked cookies on the kitchen counter offer just enough scent to make a space smell inviting after a deep clean.
• Send Your Pets on a Vacation
Speaking of scents, many of us love our animals and treat them like part of the family; but, when showing a home for sale, they can nix a deal. Find a place for them to stay while visitors are present. A vacation to Grandma’s house is a good idea for the day. It lowers the amount of “pet scent” in the air and insures your guests won’t have to contend with barking, jumping or a stressed-out pet that doesn’t understand why all these people are invading his or her space.
• Light It Up
Dark rooms don’t sell. The easy fix is to light them up. Turn on as many lights as possible to present a bright, cheery place to live.
• Organize Your Closets
Yes, it may annoy you, but here’s the bottom line – people are going to look in your closets when they look at your home. Aside from unwelcome curiosity, they do need to see what type of closet space is in the home.
Therefore, it’s time to organize your closets and remove as much from them as possible. Neatly space clothing on the rods, fold towels and place them all in the same direction. You’d be surprised what a difference it makes when a home-buyer can open a closet and see a neat place where they’d like to store their own things.
• Keep Up with the Yard
Just as on the inside, the outside of your home needs to be presented in the best possible light – since it’s the first thing a buyer will see when they arrive. Remove all clutter and storage items from the exterior of the home. Then be sure to keep up with the yard work – including weeding, mowing and trimming plants, shrubs and trees. In short, maximize your curb appeal with a little muscle.
• Water Down that Driveway for Your Pictures
Last, but not least, you’ll need a good set of pictures once you’ve completed your staging efforts. Here’s a trick used by many savvy sellers – water down your walks and driveway before you take pictures. It brings out the depth of color in any surface and makes it shine. But, remember – safety first! Water down the driveway for pictures only, not for a showing. You don’t need a “slip and fall” accident to start a home tour.
Check out pictures and inspiration for this article in the Home Staging ideabook on Houzz. You’re sure to see ideas to help you get your home staged and ready for a quick sale in a buyer’s market.
Enjoy more home decor ideas from Terry Mulligan:
10 Tips to Take Your Next Decorating Project Over the Top
Fabulous Choices for Decorating with Throw Pillows
Budget-Friendly Dollar Store Finds Anyone Can Decorate With