Here are my top ten home staging tips to help you appeal to the greatest possible pool of prospective buyers so you can sell fast and for the price you want.
Get a Home Staging Consultation with a Professional Home Stager
First, get an “objective” idea of how buyers may view your house. We all have problem areas that we no longer “see” because we live with them every day. Also, consider who your likely “buyer” is and what they want. A consultation with a professional home stager and advice from your realtor can help you determine and appeal to your “target market.” A home staging consultation can give you that objective view and great advice to either do the home staging yourself or enlist the help of the home stager to do it for you.
Make it Spotless
Make it spotless. The most beautiful house, if dirty, will turn off potential buyers. It is worth it to hire a professional cleaning service if you do not have time or desire to do it right yourself.
Paint Neutral Colors
Paint neutral colors to make everything look fresh and new. Neutral colors will go with most buyers’ belongings. Buyers that think they will have to repaint will offer less. Sherwin Williams “Accessible Beige” is one of my favorites for home staging.
De-clutter
De-clutter so you only have about half the items that you normally live with. Cluttered rooms or too much furniture will make your space look smaller than it is. A consultation with a home stager can really help here before you get started. Home sellers often remove too much or the wrong things in their de-cluttering efforts. The things that remain and their arrangement are critical to making that emotional connection with buyers.
Remove Personal Photos
Remove personal photos for your own security and to help buyers visualize their family living there. As a buyer, it is hard to “move in in your mind” if they are looking at your family pictures.
Repair to Make it Move in Ready
Repair needed items. Most buyers want a property that is move-in ready.
Don’t Sell it Vacant
Don’t leave it vacant. Buyers will focus on the flaws since they have nothing else to look at! When buyers make an emotional connection and can see themselves living there, the house will sell. It is hard for buyers to visualize how their belongings will fit, or to make that emotional connection with a vacant property. It is worth the expense to stage a vacant property. It is cheaper than your first price reduction, which will likely happen as your home sits on the market for months. If actual staging is not possible, try virtual staging so buyers at least have an idea of how it could look and how their belongings could fit in the space.
Replace Old Carpeting and Outdated Lighting
Upgrade outdated lighting or old carpeting. Your stager or realtor can advise you on which upgrades will provide a good return on your investment in the final sales price. Old lighting can shout “dated” faster than anything. Old carpeting is filled with years of dirt… and no one wants to buy that! The examples shown below were from a house that sold the first day on the market after home staging.
![Replace old carpeting. After Home Staging by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design. Photo by DMD Real Estate Photography.]](https://northernlightsstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/1467958608963__kwipfn17_17_.jpg)
Create Great Curb Appeal
Clean and maintain your yard and make the front door area look welcoming. Great curb appeal will assure buyers make it inside to see your beautiful house.
Get Professional Photos
Get professional photos! Most buyers shop online and will decide about viewing your house in a few seconds. Great photos are critical. See my article on “Preparing for your Photoshoot”.
Prepare for Showings
Finally, when showing your house, make sure all lights are on, curtains are open, toilet seats are closed, and personal items are out of view in the bathrooms. Remove all evidence of pets.
Best of luck on a fast sale!
Need a home staging consultation? Call today to set one up or try my online consultation.
If home staging is not an option, consider one of my Virtual Home Staging packages.
Learn more about the Pros and Cons of Virtual Home Staging in my recent blog article.
Call 907-362-0065 today
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Such great tips! Thank you for all the valuable info!
Thank you Mimi!
Great tips Mary-thank you for sharing! I agree that Accessible Beige is a great neutral option for paint.
Thank you! Yes, that color has always worked great for me.
This is great advice! Forwarded to a friend who is listing her house!
Thank you!!
great tips Mary Ann!
Thanks Julie! Appreciate you stopping by to read the post:)
Excellent checklist, Mary Ann! I find that lighting fixtures are one of the most obvious things that date a home – alongside colors/wallcovering “of an era”. And staging is ALWAYS the smartest move if you want to sell for the best price and in the fastest time frame! It, quite literally, pays for itself!
Thanks Janet, I agree! Lighting is an easy and inexpensive fix that anyone can do and it makes a huge difference! And staging is a great investment that always pays for itself and helps the seller make more money on their sale. It certainly is much cheaper than the money they can lose in their first price reduction if it is not staged and takes longer to sell!
Great post with so many great tips. I agree with you about replacing old lighting, it’s something people often don’t do and I think outdated lights make the whole house look outdated and out of style! We’ll done!
Thanks Amy! I think lights are something people get so used to seeing in their home everyday they don’t realize how dated it makes the home look after a while. Nice that they are so easy to replace!
As I’ve said before, I am going to forward this blog too to my real estate agents I work with. Such great tips!
Wonderful, thanks Sheri!
I have a friend who could use these tips. Shes having a hard time selling her house. Thanks for posting!
Thanks KaSonndra, feel free to share with her and I hope it helps! Thanks for reading.