You want your home to be appealing to potential home buyers. One of the best ways to do this is through staging. You don’t have to be a professional designer or spend a lot of money to get your house show ready. Just follow this guide to staging your house one room at a time.
Room One – Kitchen
If you’ve ever watched a home improvement show, you know that the most important room of the house is the kitchen. Let’s face it, kitchens sell homes! For this reason, you want to make sure your kitchen is putting its best foot forward.
Do a deep cleaning. Make sure you get the baseboards, the top of the cabinets, the tray under the refrigerator, and any other area that seldom gets a second thought during casual cleanings. Wipe down the insides and doors of all cabinets, put canned goods and other items in order, and make sure you have no stains or signs of past leaks under the sink.
While you may love your huge pig collection, a potential home buyer may not have the same fascination. In fact, your theme kitchen could be a turn off. Pack your beloved items away and replace them with neutral décor items. Use neutral colored towels.
Keep things fresh. Make sure you have plenty of clean sponges on hand, and don’t leave used sponges sitting on the counter or back of sink. Place a simple bowl of fruit on the counter or a vase of fresh flowers. No need to overdo things. You don’t want to distract; you just want to enhance.
Replace any worn knobs and fix any lopsided drawers. You know, the ones that threaten to drop to the floor every time you reach for a spoon. Replace old, dim lightbulbs. Make sure your windows are not obstructed.
Room Two – Bathroom
Another key room that buyers consider heavily when purchasing a house is the bathroom. If your bathroom is small, you’ll want to maximize the appeal by using light colors that are neutral. Your Snoopy shower curtain is all the rage with your friends, but it could send the wrong vibe to a potential home buyer. Switch it out for a new one that is neutral.
Purchase a couple of new hand towels in a complimentary color. Let friends and family know that these are off limits during the home showing stage. Replace old bath mats. Make sure you clean all the tiles and shower tracks thoroughly.
Remove large hampers from the room. They have a tendency to make the bathroom look smaller, and they could impact the smell of the space. Keep a freshly filled bottle of hand soap on the counter, and put your makeup and other personal items away.
Room Three – Bedroom
Your son may love his bright purple walls that you painted for him five years ago to celebrate his birthday, but a potential buyer might see those walls and run. Console your family that the changes are for the sake of the smooth sale of the house and paint the walls a neutral color.
If you’ve turned one of the bedrooms into an entertainment room, fitness room, office that is used part-time as a meditation room, turn it back in to a bedroom for the duration of the showing. Potential home buyers need to see themselves in those rooms, and that is difficult to do if you’ve changed the use of the room.
Make sure all your closets are clean and neatly organized. Purchase hangers that match. Organize clothing by type or color. Get shoes off the floor of the closet. If you need to, rent a small storage unit where you can store the things that usually pack your closets.
Room Four – Outdoor Spaces
Though technically not a room, we are going to include outdoor spaces. Remove any toys or other items used for décor and make sure your lawn is well manicured. Make sure there are no hidden dangers for someone who may be walking around your property. Keep an eye out for wasp nests, bee hives, ant hills, and large holes. Get these taken care of before potential buyers begin showing up to see your house.
If you need more tips on how to stage your house to sell, give Kathie Moore a call at 651-351-4736.
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