Ready to Sell Your Property? These 10 Staging Tips Will Help You Create a Buyer’s Dream Home!

Staging your home for real estate is the process of preparing your property for sale in a way that showcases its best features and helps potential buyers imagine themselves living in the space. Here are some tips for staging your home:

1. Focus on curb appeal. 

Make the best first impression by mowing the lawn and sprucing up the landscape by removing dead or overgrown shrubs, touching up any peeling paint, or repairing any cracks in the driveway and walkway. Power wash if need be.

2. Declutter and neutralize.

Look at each room objectively, and remove anything that will distract buyers from seeing your property, including personal collections, family photos, newspapers, books, magazines, etc.

You may also consider donating outdated furniture and household accessories to a local nonprofit.

3. Refresh walls, rugs, and windows treatments.

Consider adding a fresh coat of neutral paint. The same applies to area rugs and carpeting. Be sure to have them professionally cleaned and, if dated, consider replacing them. If you have hardwood floors under the carpeting, you’ll find it worthwhile to remove and refinish the floors so you can then use the hardwoods as a selling point. As for window treatments, replace any outdated or specific styles. Or if you have great windows — make sure they stand out by removing all of the window treatments.

4. Brighten and add warmth. 

Open the curtains wide and let in as much natural light as possible. Also, replace any light fixtures that are outdated and make sure all existing lights are working.

5. Make it shine.

Clean, dust, vacuum, and deodorize. We often suggest to our clients that they have a professional service clean the property from top to bottom — including the walls, ceilings, and baseboards. Dirt eats equity. The more your home shines, the better for prospective buyers. Windows and mirrors should be free of fingerprints, and hardwood floors should shine. Scrub bathrooms and kitchens so they sparkle. Don’t forget to dust lampshades and curtains too.

6. Don’t be emotionally attached.

As soon as your sellers make the commitment to sell, they need to look at their end goal. Are they downsizing, moving to be near family, or in a warmer climate? It’s important for them to emotionally detach from selling their home. Any negative remarks you gather as their real estate professional from home buyers, the sellers need to be able to use constructive criticism and be willing to do what it takes to get their “product” sold timely and for top dollar.

7. Don’t be afraid to team up.

Selling a home can be overwhelming. Just packing and decluttering is a monumental task and that is why using a professional home stager is an investment in getting your property sold. A professional stager (not a decorator) is an expert who can look at the home objectively and provide proven methods to help enhance your clients’ home showings.

8. Don’t leave anything broken.

Everything should function properly and be in working order. Sellers need to make sure they repair leaky faucets, cracked windows, loose doorknobs, and broken tiles, as well as replace any light bulbs that don’t work.

9. Don’t invest in major renovations.

Keep it to the essentials in giving the home a basic cosmetic fix. Painting goes a long way in providing a modern “facelift” to a home, from the kitchen cabinets to the bathroom vanities. Update a home by adding new flooring, if needed, a new bathroom vanity and light fixture, and making any necessary repairs — those projects can be worth the investment to get the house sold.

10. Don’t buy brand-new furniture.

Rearrange and put away excessive pieces to simplify and make the room appear larger. Update or hide imperfections in the sellers’ furniture with new throws and pillows. However, if your sellers are already planning to purchase updated furniture for their new home, they may want to consider buying sooner for selling purposes too.

By following these tips, you can stage your home for real estate in a way that will attract potential buyers and help you sell your home quickly and for the best price.