We sold our house in one weekend and it was better than we could have ever imagined. Regardless of the market, we estimated making all of our money back on all the renovations we did. All the renovations and updates we did only helped us in the long run as we thought “resale” value each time we took on a new project.
10 Tips to Stage Your House to Sell
- Declutter your shelves, pantry and closets, they will be opened. I underestimated this in our own home until our realtor stressed that people want to see the storage options. So no door will go unopened.
- Minimize Furniture and remove any bulky pieces that take up a lot of space. Buyers want to see how spacious a home is when it’s furnished. So use pieces that work well in the space that create a natural flow and compliment the space. For example, we got rid of our large living chairs and moved our sofas to face each other because it made more sense visually. However, watching TV was an issue – but buyers aren’t in your home to watch TV.
- Remove Personal Photos and sentimental pieces to your family. This will be the hardest, but you want buyers to envision themselves in your home as their own. That’s really hard when they’re staring at your wedding photos every which way they turn.
- Turn on all the lights, believe it or not some buyers may think they’re broken if not on. This is my least favorite thing, as a designer and wanting to save electricity leaving all the lights on each time someone saw the home was so gut wrenching.
- Deodorize and neutralize smells in your home, you don’t know how sensitive a buyer may be. I had to fight Cody hard on this one, he wanted to light a candle in every room! We used a carpet deodorizer in every room and rug. Then we cleaned with windex vinegar which leaves almost no smell by the time it dries.
- Curb Appeal you all know the drill, a well maintained yard makes for a great first impression. Mow the lawn, pull the weeds, and plant some fresh flowers by your entry for a “welcoming feel.” Cody’s grass tip – “put a fertilizer with nitrogen on the lawn 5-7 before your listing photos, first showing or open house. This greens up the grass and ensures a lawn buyers won’t want to pass up!” Make sure your house numbers are up and you’ve got a clean welcome mat!
- Paint Touch Ups and re-caulking any areas that need a little extra love. As a house settles you will always need to re-caulk a few areas. Make sure to look high and low to prevent any unwarranted concerns.
- Open your blinds or raise them all the way up. Let all that natural light in! Don’t forget to clean them squeaky clean. Opening up all the windows at a 45-degree angle lets in the natural light and not direct piercing light.
- Set the mood whether that be turning on your gas fireplace, setting out fresh flowers, bowl of fruit on the table, light music. This doesn’t mean baking cookies in your oven right before the showing or open house.
- Clear Countertops of everything including canisters, utensils, small appliances, bathroom essentials. This allows buyers to see how much space there is! We cleaned and organized our kitchen and bathrooms to be able to put the items “we” needed at an easy access. This allowed for us to have the counters cleared with just soap canisters on the countertop!
Our realtor was so good at sharing a checklist for staging our home. We also consulted with other bloggers and friends that have recently sold their homes.
Any other tips you’d like to share? We’d love to hear them below in the comments!
