Basics of Home Staging
When you hear the phrase “home staging” you may envision setting up a stage on your front lawn for a production of Wicked- but in reality, it’s more complicated than that! Home staging is about more than having a clean, well-decorated home. It’s about removing YOU and your personality and presenting your home in a way that potential buyers can picture THEMSELVES living there.
Consider these 3 tips before putting your home on the market.
Neutralize:
Selling your home is NOT the time to be bold. Bold color choices are a very personal preference and can either be a hit with potential buyers or can be a turn off. Sellers should limit as many “turn off’s” as possible. Instead, consider using with neutral color palettes especially on the largest surface areas, i.e. walls, carpeting and even the exterior. Wallpaper is typically very taste specific and it can also make a home feel old. Wallpaper should be removed wherever possible and replaced with neutral color paint. Also, open all of your blinds and drapes to bring in as much natural light as possible during a showing.
Tip: Take the guess work out of it. Many paint suppliers can provide you with decorator color palettes in a neutral family. You can usually find them online at the manufactures websites
De-Personalize:
Buyers want to feel like “they’re home” when they walk in the front door (and you want this too). Too many family photo’s and sentimental artwork only makes a potential buyers think about the people who live here and not about the actually house. We all love your Aunt Edna, she has a great sense of humor. But unfortunately that picture of her hanging in your entry foyer is a little creepy to people who don’t know her. So take it down. The same goes for your framed button collection, or those beer steins from around the world or definitely those taxidermy squirrels sitting on the mantle. That’s just weird. You want buyers to be looking at the details of the house not of your personal belongings.
Tip: If you have an eye for photography replace personal photo’s with some cool pictures of your neighborhood; it’s a nice way to make your buyer feel more connected to the area
De-Clutter:
Messy drawers and overflowing closets can make a room feel smaller than it actually is. Clearing countertops, closets and kitchen cabinets helps a buyer to see how much useful space the home really has. Buyers want to look in closets and open cabinets so keep these areas as clutter free as possible. When your home is on the market, consider renting a storage unit for $20 a month. Remove any unnecessary items, seasonal clothing or storage junk to offsite storage. Packing a few boxes before the sale is not only positive thinking, but also helps when it comes time to move.
Image Source: Flickr: REAL ESTAGING
