How to Stage Your Home to Sell for Top Dollar

March 30, 2020

How to Stage Your Home to Sell for Top Dollar

When you’re ready to put your home on the market and sell it quickly, we strongly suggest that you consider staging your home. A staged home sells faster and can result in thousands of dollars more from a home sale than a non-staged home. Staging can increase the sale by 1 to 3 percent of the home’s asking price, based on the results of this National Association of Realtors’ survey

 

Home staging works because removing most of your personal home items helps buyers envision themselves living in the home. You’re not just selling a house. You’re selling a lifestyle. People want to be able to picture themselves living there immediately. 

 

Choosing to stage your home doesn’t mean you have bad taste in interior design. Quite the opposite. When you recognize everyone’s interior design tastes are different, choosing to go for a neutral style when staging your home makes you smart. Here are things to keep in mind when whether you’re hiring a home stager or staging the home yourself. 

 

 

What to Clean When Staging Your Home to Sell 

 

It’s important during the showing process to keep your house clean. I know it could feel a little challenging to maintain a super clean home when you’re living in it, but it will help you get the most money from the sale. Before staging your home, make sure you do a deep clean to remove dirt and any smells. Here’s what to focus on when cleaning:

 

  • Steam clean the carpets – either by hiring a carpet cleaning company or renting a carpet cleaner.

 

  • Scrub kitchen floors, bathroom floors, the showers, bathtubs, and counters.

 

  • Use proper floor cleaner to make your hardwood sparkle.

 

  • Maintain a regular dusting schedule to keep your home free of debris.

 

  • Make sure there are no cracks in the walls. If you have any cracks right now, this can be an easy fix with a little bit of plaster. 

 

  • Move extra personal items, clutter, and knickknacks into storage containers. Putting these away makes your home feel more spacious and distraction-free for home buyers.

 

  • Consider painting any non-white walls light neutral colors like tan, gray, or back to white. 

 

 

What to Declutter When Staging Your Home 

 

  • Take out any unnecessary furniture pieces to make your rooms look bigger. 

 

  • Remove decor from the tops of kitchen cabinets – if it’s empty up there it will make the kitchen look bigger. Counter tops should be clutter-free – remove all food, paper towel holders or personal items. 

 

  • Remove personal photos so that buyers can picture their own family living there.

 

  • Remove rugs so you can showcase the floor. One big rug might be okay, but be sure to put away medium or small rugs as they can make spaces seem smaller. 

 

  • Consider renting a storage space. You may have to rent a storage space because your garage is a selling point that buyers will need to see, but the return on investment will be well worth it. 

 

 

Set the Stage by Moving Furniture Around

 

Walk into the room you want to focus on with fresh eyes. Think about how it could look better. How could things flow better? Think about what would look better in pictures. In your home office, set up the desk in the middle of the room as a focal point instead of off to the side. Your desk off-center in the room might be better for actual working, but not for making the room look presentable to buyers.

 

If it’s not a desk in the room you’re working on, what is the focal point of the room? Is it a bed or a fireplace or a TV? Find the focal point and make sure that there’s not a lot of distracting pieces such as furniture blocking it. Ask your Realtor for advice on this as well.

 

 

Work On the Curb Appeal

 

The outside of your home is the first impression. Make sure to mow the lawn and trim the hedges and trees. Keep the pool cleaned up, but don’t forget: 

 

  • Check if there’s any peeling paint to fix, or if the front door should have a new coat of paint.

 

  • Clean up any garden areas.

 

  • Consider fixing any cracks in the driveway.

 

  • See if you need to power wash the home’s siding or windows.

 

Ask your Realtor for advice on what the outside of your home needs to be changed specifically to maximize value. They’ll know exactly what buyers in your neighborhood are looking for. 

 

 

Prepare to Sell Your Home Fast by Setting Up the Staging Pieces

 

Now that everything has been deep cleaned, decluttered and rearranged for maximum buyer appeal, now is the fun part. First, make sure everything is well-lit. Any big windows with great views should have either shorter furniture or nothing in front of them so they’re not blocked. 

 

Kitchen 

 

  • A cookbook or wine bottle with a couple of glasses are nice options to help buyers visualize the space as being where they would be drinking wine and cooking.

 

  • In the dining room, if you already have things to set the table with, set it up with the placemats down and plates on top like you’re ready to serve dinner. Don’t have everything bunched up on top of the plates. 

 

  • Consider not using fake fruit or plants. The best practice is to use real fruits and plants or nothing. 

 

Living Room 

 

  • Put away family photos so that the potential buyer can more easily picture their own family living in the home.

 

  • Make sure the focal point of the room is clear. That means the couch should be pointed to a TV, fireplace, work of art or multiple couches can be facing each other.

 

  • A few neutral accessories are good here and there.

 

  • It’s a good idea to have a few neutral artworks framed and hung up on the walls.

 

Master Bedroom

 

  • Keep things as neutral as possible with minimal decor.

 

  • Keeping the bedding white or beige and plain will make the room appear clean and so much bigger.

 

  • A few plain throw pillows in light colors are ideal.

 

  • Consider fluffy white towels in the bathrooms that can make it seem spa-like.

 

  • You don’t have to clear out bedroom closets but you should organize them so buyers can still peek in.

 

 

Conclusion

 

If you are staging your home yourself, have your Realtor do a quick look-through and offer advice and suggestions. They’ll know what kinds of things tend to make homes sell faster and what is appealing to potential home buyers. If you’re looking for a Realtor in the Roseville, California area, contact us at Quantum Real Estate.

 

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