Staging you home for sale
As we all know, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression!
Selling a home in today’s market is much like participating in a daily beauty contest and pricing war. Look at your home “through the buyer’s eyes”, as though you’ve never seen it before.
An aggressively price home that is clean, show-ready, de-cluttered, updated and is in good repair is extremely desirable to today’s buyers!
1. Inside:
- Go through your home, room by room. Paint if necessary. Clean carpets or drapes if needed. Clean dirty windows.
- Clear unnecessary objects from furniture. Keep decorative objects on the furniture in small groups of no more than 5 items.
- A clean kitchen is important! Clear refrigerator front of messages, pictures, etc. Clear away unnecessary or rarely used items from counter tops. Keep appliances clean.
- Sparkling bathrooms sell homes! Remove items from counter tops, tubs, shower stalls, toilet tops. Keep only your most needed cosmetics, brushes, etc. in one small group on the counter. Coordinate towels.
- Rearrange or remove some of the furniture if necessary. Sparsely furnished rooms appear larger.
- Make closets look bigger. Remove and pack away items that can be stored elsewhere.
- Take down or rearrange pictures or objects on walls. Patch and paint if needed.
- Repair items like loose doorknobs, leaky faucets or cracked molding.
- Lighting cheers up the home. Open the blinds and/or drapes during showings! Leave lights and lamps on during showings!
- The home needs to smell fresh and clean but avoid overpowering candles/sprays.
- Optional touches: soft background music playing during showings; freshly baked cookies.
2. Outside:
- Go across the street and look at your entire property.
- Your lawn needs to be trimmed, edged and watered. Fertilize if needed (depending on the season).
- Trim all bushes and plants. Keep plants from blocking windows. Weed and clear planting areas.
- Check gutters and roof for dry rot. Repair shutters, gutters and downspouts as needed.
- Paint the mailbox (if metal or wood)
- Check the house for paint problems, especially the front door and trim. Paint if needed.
- Go around the perimeter of the house with “buyer’s eyes”.
- Store all garbage cans, wood scraps, extra building material, etc. in the garage.
- Minimalize “clutter” on decks or patios to include small planters, flower pots, charcoal, BBQ’s, toys, etc.
- Remove the window screens and store away in a safe place. Windows show and photograph better without them. Make sure all windows work; replace/repair if needed.
