10 DIY Home Staging Tips to Draw in Offers

Are you considering putting your home up for sale, but not sure where to start? Afraid it will take too long to sell, or that you won’t get the price you want? Think about staging your home, or in other words, setting the ideal scene for immediate buyer interest in your property. To be really effective, you need to look at both the outside and the inside of your home. Here are 10 tips to get you started with the inside of your home:

De-clutter your home. This is one of the most important things you can do. It might be easier to think of de-cluttering like this you’re moving anyway, so why not start packing now? Start in the basement and either throw things out or rent a locker off premises to store it until you move but prospective buyers need to see what the house looks like behind all your stuff. This means going room to room and clearing everything out that makes it look junkie and disorganized.

Neutralize the personal nature of your home. You want to de-personalize as much as possible so potential buyers can imagine themselves and their own belongings occupying the space in your house. You may love the native tapestry on the living room wall from Bora Bora but I’ll guarantee 95% of your prospects will have it on their mind when they leave your home and not in a good way. Knick-knacks and generally all things that you’ve previously enjoyed should be stored away until after the sale, that includes grandma’s spoon collection that takes up half a wall in the kitchen. Replace these things with neutral items like picture frames or vase with a simple arrangement. Clear off kitchen counters as much as possible and stash all those appliances you don’t normally use, and put miscellaneous small clutter in a few attractive baskets or boxes.

Minor cosmetic work. Once you remove the clutter you will see all the things that you’ve been meaning to get to over the years. Painting where necessary, new carpet, moldings repaired, cracked plaster and re-taping/repairing drywall. When making these improvements think neutral colors for any coverings be it paint or carpets. If you have hardwood floors sand them and finish them. Area rugs can look amazing. Whatever you do, don’t over do it. Try and think like a buyer.

Hire a professional cleaner. After the house has cleared, consider hiring a professional cleaning crew to wash the walls, windows, work over the kitchen and bathrooms, clean the floors and shampoo all carpets that don’t need to be replaced. Your house should be spotless and kept this way for the duration. Make it shine.

Stage each room. If your rooms are smaller, rearrange the furniture to make the room look bigger. Set your furniture up in conversation pit style. Like a gourmet coffee house, make it cozy. Pull couches away from walls to give the appearance of depth. Remove wall clutter, one or two pictures but no more. Generally, make it look as inviting as possible.

Pay attention to the kitchen and bathrooms. These are the most important rooms in your home to a potential buyer. Make sure it looks impeccable. Plumbing fixtures should be working properly and look like new or they should be replaced. Use a good cleaner or even a metal polish to make them gleam. Showers and tubs need to be spotless! Sinks and vanities need to be pristine and uncluttered. Kitchen cupboards should be orderly, doors opening and closing properly, drawers the same. I can it stress enough how important these two rooms are to your potential outcome.

Don’t forget doors and windows. First thing prospects see when they walk in your home is a door. Make sure its painted or cleaned up and that it will open and close properly. This goes for screen doors as well. Often screen doors are a problem people let go. Not anymore. Windows should all be cleaned and be sure if someone wants to open them that they work properly. If they have been painted closed, as is the case with some older homes, now is the time to get them to open.

Garages and workshops. These are the second most important areas. Again, remove all clutter from the garage and make it accessible so you can actually park your car in it! As for the workshop, try and organize it so the handy person prospect will appreciate what they can do with their new shop when they move in. Remember, it’s all about your prospect picturing themselves in your house.

Odors and pets. Wow, is this ever important. If you have a pet like me, only you really love them. When you walk into a house with dogs or cats you immediately smell them, especially if you don’t have your own. Keep litter boxes fresh and clean daily. Restrict your animals if at all possible to certain areas of the home until after the sale. Vinegar and water will do wonders when you clean their areas every other day until the sale is complete, and top it off with effective air fresheners wherever you need them.

And, the biggest tip of all? Imagine yourself as a potential buyer looking at your property for the very first time. What impressions are you getting? Would YOU buy your house? What would you like to see changed before you put an offer on your house? This sounds like quite a bit of work and it is.

Try and remember, a little elbow grease now will be a solid investment. Don’t worry about spending money to get your house ready to sell; you’ll get it all back when your house sells at top asking price. Remember, proper home staging will help you sell your house in a shorter time and at the price you want.

VIA [ itsmeangela ]