Free Home Staging Consultation

Home staging is just a fancy way of saying “preparing your home for sale.” If you were selling a car, you’d wash and wax it, vacuum the interior, clean the upholstery, shine up the tires, and maybe make a few minor repairs. The same goes with houses. We’ll talk about whether you have any sort of budget to work with, since that will dictate how far we can go in getting your home in tiptop shape to sell. We’ll then make a list of items that we know are important to buyers, and give you a helping hand in planning your home staging process.

Decluttering Every Room

One of the biggest turnoffs for buyers is clutter. We’ve actually shown homes where we literally had to step over junk just to walk from room to room. It didn’t leave a good impression, and the only thing my buyers could think about was how quickly we could leave to visit the next property!

Here’s what we recommend. You’ll need plenty of trash bags and boxes for this, but go room by room and pack up anything you don’t use regularly, and toss the things you no longer need. When your home sells, you’re going to have to do this anyway, so just consider this a head start.

How much “sentimental” is too much?

Most people are sentimental to some degree, and we all like to hang on to certain mementos that once played an important part in our lives. But it can get out of hand. Funny story…we had a seller once who was an avid bowler back in the 80’s. He hasn’t bowled since then, but he still has his 11 team shirts, about 6-7 pairs of bowling shoes, 9 bowling balls, and an assortment of accessories. All kept in the master bedroom closet. LOL! Remember he hasn’t bowled for almost 40 years (don’t laugh ladies, or we’ll start talking about prom dresses and yoga mats). When it comes to decluttering your home, you might consider donating certain items to the Goodwill or other charity that can put them to good use. If you’re slightly sentimental about them, then be sure to take photos first so you can refer back to them whenever the urge hits to revisit the past. But for now, if you have these kinds of things taking up valuable space in your home, either get rid of them, or box them up and put them in the garage. The inside of your home needs to be as clean and decluttered as possible. Remember that the less clutter there is, the larger the rooms will appear, and that’s what buyers are looking for!

What to do with family photos and valuables

Remember that the goal is to allow buyers to see your home as THEIR home, so there are some simple things that can be done to help achieve that. That’s going to mean taking down the collection of family photos that are hanging on the wall (we know…it’s tough, but it’s only for a short period of time, and they have to be packed up anyway!). Also, removing things like trophy collections, porcelain doll collections, and any other personal items that might get in the way of buyers visualizing your home as their own.

Expensive items are another thing to consider removing (for example, having 10 rare guitars hanging on the wall)…it’s a much better idea to stow those away. Remember that the photos will be online in front of millions, so let’s not advertise your valuables residing at an easy to find address!

Cleaning from top to bottom

This is everyone’s favorite thing to do right? Here are some facts. Homes that are dirty don’t only hurt the initial appeal of the property, but also leave an impression that other things might be neglected too. If someone lets their house go in terms of cleanliness, it’s possible they might not have fixed the water heater, or the leaky roof either. That may not be true, of course, but it’s the way buyers think. And while it’s indeed a time consuming chore to do a deep cleaning, the return is so worth it! Even on homes that might not be perfectly decorated, buyers can look past that as long as the home is clean. So clean everything. Floors, doors, cabinets, baseboards, cobwebs in the corners of the ceiling, the tops of the ceiling fan blades, the light fixtures and towel racks in the bathrooms, etc. If you can see it…it needs to be scrubbed clean!

Is painting necessary?

Everyone has a favorite color. We respect that. But when it comes to selling a home, it’s been proven time and again that neutral colors will always sell better than bold color schemes. Take the red bedroom photo here (that’s the actual bedroom!) We applaud and support any individual’s decorating creativity, but we also hear the comments from buyers when we get back in the car. “OMG, did you see that bedroom?” As your listing agents, there may be times when we recommend that you paint a bold room with a more subtle color. It’s inexpensive, and will go a long way toward making your home more marketable, resulting in a potentially faster sale and higher price. We Photoshop’d the original red image and made it a bit more neutral just so you can see what we’re talking about. We also threw a few pillows on the bed to give you an idea what $25.00 worth of accessories can accomplish! The majority of buyers (if not all) would choose the more neutral color scheme in a heartbeat, which means you’d sell the home more quickly and at a higher price. Note that if your home already has neutral colors, but the paint is in very poor condition, it might be time to give it a fresh coat also even if you aren’t changing colors.

Flooring. Clean or replace?

If you have dirty carpets after years of use, they should be cleaned or replaced if it’s within your budget. Sometimes it’s only a single room, so the costs can be very manageable. Same goes with tile flooring, or wood floors. They should be cleaned and/or replaced as needed. If it’s not financially feasible to clean or replace ahead of the sale, it’s very possible that the buyer will request some sort of allowance so they can do it themselves.

Don’t forget the exterior

The exterior is just as important as the interior. Maybe it’s as easy as pulling a few weeds. Or perhaps an overgrown tree needs trimming, or the eaves need a coat of paint. A few months ago, we saw a home on the MLS that was painted lavender with royal blue trim. It had been on the market for 5-1/2 months without selling (bold paint warnings apply to exteriors too!) Might be time to break out the spray gun! Also, if your backyard is a magnet for junk, it’s time to get rid of it all. Buyers want to envision themselves relaxing in a chaise lounge with an iced mocha, not picking up stuff left behind by the previous owner.