One of the most stressful aspects of putting your home on the market for the first time is trying to sell your lifestyle to strangers. Part of selling your home is making it appealing to potential buyers through staging. While you can hire professionals to make your home look extra inviting, there are a few do-it-yourself staging tips that can go a long way. Home staging can improve your residential sale by helping buyers to see what a life in your former home could be like.
Clean
The first step in staging your home is to give it the cleaning of its life. Make sure the windows sparkle, the floors are dirt-free, and your shower isn’t harboring any grime. An unclean bathroom can be the straw that breaks the sale, so make sure that any germaphobe would be comfortable in your bathroom.
If you have pets, steam clean your carpets. Even though you may be used to their smell, new guests may not be. Though this is probably the most labor-intensive part of home staging, it’s the most inexpensive and effective way to make your home enticing to prospective buyers.
Remove clutter
Over the course of life in your home, counter tops, junk drawers, and closets become storage for all of your miscellaneous items. Clearing out these random collections can be a quick way to make your home look much more spacious. Whether you hide stuff in your basement, your mom’s garage or an off-site storage unit, pare down the items in your home to the bare necessities. It is a quick way to make everything look cleaner, brighter and bigger. Make sure that everything in your home adds to the overall look.
Go neutral
When it’s just you and your family in your home, it’s important and fun to personalize everything. It’s okay to have bright pink paint, silly shag carpet and cartoon character blankets. Once your home is on the market and staging begins, these sorts of personal touches can be your downfall. While bright colors may be your style, someone else may hate them. Shifting your home to a more neutral palate is the best way to appeal to the largest variety of buyers. Crisp whites, easy tans, and simple grays are inviting and gender nonspecific.
Incorporate the outdoors
Staging your home is about selling the life that new owners could enjoy. If you have a great outdoor space, don’t forget to think about staging it too. Consider the season and make sure that your back and front yards look their best. Maintain grass and flower gardens in the summer and rake up leaves in the fall. Make sure any outdoor patio furniture you have is clean and doesn’t show excessive signs of weathering.
If you have any questions about Residential Sales as a buyer or a seller, please contact Clagett Enterprises at (301) 663-6011.
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