7 Practical Steps To Stage Your Home To Sell

Here are a few easy and inexpensive staging tips that may help you to make your home more attractive to home buyers and subsequently lead to a sale.
If you’ve decided to sell your home and would like to do so relatively quickly, you will have to find ways to differentiate yourself from other homes currently on the market.
One of the easiest ways to set yourself apart is to stage the home in order to highlight its benefits and minimize any undesirable features so that you can attract the most prospective buyers.
Your home should be as clean and attractive as a new/model home. This will help prospective buyer(s) envision themselves living in the home.

Inexpensive Tips for Staging Your Home:

1. Get rid of clutter!

Remove all of the clutter and junk throughout the home, the entire exterior and interior of the property. (including garages, basements, sheds, closets, etc.!)

2. Remove excess pieces of furniture.

This will make the room appear more spacious! If you can do without it, consider storing it off-site and/or in your garage and/or basement.
Professional home stagers often remove as much as half of the furniture out of a home, in an effort to maximize the spaces.  You might consider renting a storage unit or pod while your home is on the market to store items that aren’t currently needed – or to store extra furnishings.
Looking for great storage pod options? Check out our client (owner of Lokbox Storage) here – and request “The Jennifer King Team” discount!

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3. Make small rooms appear larger.

One trick many home stagers use for small rooms – is to paint the room the same color as an adjoining room.
ie – A small kitchen and adjacent dining room will look larger if they are painted the same light shade of color.  Using draperies the same color as the walls is yet another trick to help make small rooms appear larger.  

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4. Neutral colors.

While we all have our own personalized taste in colors, when you’re selling a home, it’s best to cover up bright and/or bold colored walls with a fresh coat of neutral colored paint. We remove any light-colored neutrals.

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5. Remove personal items.

We recommend that you de-personalize your home by removing personal items – such as family heirlooms and photos.
It’s ideal for prospective buyers to be able to envision the home as their home! It’s difficult for them to imagine themselves living in your home when the spaces are full of your memories.
At The Jennifer King Team, we recommend clear (or nearly clear) surfaces… countertops, tops of furniture, etc…

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6. Clean, clean, clean!!!

No one wants to walk into a dirty home that smells like a wet dog or a home that has stains on the floors or sticky floors.
Keep in mind that buyers are likely to look under kitchen and bathroom cabinets (for leaks), in closets (to check out the spaces), etc.. Everything from top to bottom should ideally be sparkling clean!
A dirty and/or smelly home is likely to “turn off” buyers immediately. We recommend that you have your carpets and furniture professionally cleaned!
The Jennifer King Team recommends Statewide Carpet Cleaning and you can contact them here!   We also recommend a heavy duty, deep one-time cleaning to get your home sparkling clean and make the best impression!
You may also want to consider ongoing regular cleaning service throughout the listing period, to keep your home in its best possible state!
Keep in mind the following easy-to-miss items which buyers will notice:

• light plate covers/light switches
• bathrooms – bathtubs, showers
• door handles throughout the home
• ceiling fans!!
• kitchen counters, sinks, etc.
• stoves/ovens
• toilets – clean them, then shut the lids!

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7. Curb appeal!

You only get ONE chance to make a first impression! The first impression will be made instantly when the prospective buyer and their Realtor arrive at the property.

• Toys out of yard and driveway and stored properly?
• Garbage cans out of sight?
• Lawn mowed? Landscaping fresh, tidy, neat, weed-free? Snow cleared?
• Toilet seats closed?

• Lights on? (inside & out!)
• Blinds turned open? Allow as much natural light into the home as possible!
• Does the house smell neutral or welcoming? (consider baking cookies, bread, etc. or using some potpourri or gentle scents) Please don’t overkill/mask smells with 1,000 plug-in air fresheners! <wink>
• TIP: Ozone air cleaners/air purifiers can be a great way to neutralize odors in your home. We are a fan of these, as they can greatly assist in making sure your buyers’ experience while touring the home is a positive one!

Disclaimer: Jennifer King may earn a commission, at no additional cost to you, when you utilize our affiliate links.

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We hope these tips have been helpful for you as you prepare to list your home! Ready to schedule your pre-listing consultation, so we can make recommendations for you specific to your home?
Call The Jennifer King Team @ 717-723-9080!