So, you’re selling your house. You’ve found an agent (licensed, right?), made repairs, and gone back and forth on what price to list it at. Now you have to get ready for tons of strangers to traipse through your property by staging. Staging your house does double duty; It helps you prepare for the move and boosts your home’s perceived value. Follow these 10 tips for staging your house for sale.
1. Declutter Everywhere
Homebuyers want to imagine themselves in the home—something they can’t do if it’s cluttered with personal possessions. Clear photos and magnets off the fridge, box up knick-knacks, take down family photos, and toss magazines and newspapers.
2. Minimize and Remove Unnecessary Furniture or Objects
Too much stuff makes a house feel cramped, but empty rooms don’t show well either. Strike a balance by removing non-essentials from closets and cabinets and by taking extra furniture out of rooms.
3. Curb Appeal is Your Home’s First Impression
A positive impression starts on arrival. Hire landscapers to trim shrubs, mow the lawn, and pull weeds. Keep the mailbox empty and the driveway free of oil spills and cars. Then create a welcoming entry with a cheery doormat and visible house numbers.
4. Make Your Interior Neutral
Gender-neutral homes have double the appeal of homes that are clearly gendered. It also has the added benefit of making it easier for potential buyers to imagine themselves living there. Pack up gendered bathroom and bedroom items, then paint over pastel wall colors with a neutral hue. Replace low lights with high wattage bulbs, flip faded sofa cushions and pillows, and pull back the curtains to let in natural light.
5. Make It Smell Good (Everywhere)
Get rid of old odors by steam cleaning carpets and washing linens. Scour the fridge to get rid of food odors and open the windows to air out a musty home. Once you’ve neutralized bad odors, make it smell good everywhere with oil diffusers or air fresheners in popular scents like peppermint or citrus.
6. Depersonalize Everything
Do a home scan where you remove anything personal that might prevent a homebuyer from imagining themselves in your home. This includes memorabilia, framed degrees, knick-knack collections, pictures, and plaques with the family name.
7. Don’t Forget About Your Pets
Pet owners get used to the smells of their animals, but guests can notice pet scents—and get a bad impression. There are additional steps to take if you are staging a home with a pet. Clean pet deposits from the yard, scrub pet stains, and vacuum to pick up pet hair. Put pet toys and litter boxes away during showings so there are minimal visual cues of a pet presence.
8. Prep Garages to Show Multi-Functional Value
Garages can be more than just homes for your vehicles. Many serve as storage units, and the clutter can turn off buyers. So, it’s important to stage your garage to show its value. Toss anything you don’t use and put it in storage, organize anything left (like tools), clean the floor, and give the garage a fresh coat of paint to boost appeal.
9. Play Up Your Backyard as Additional Living Space
Tidy the yard so it looks neat by making needed repairs, mowing and weeding, and removing any maintenance tools and pet deposits. Once the yard looks neat, add character. This could be as simple as staging the yard or patio with colorful planters, or as dramatic as setting up lawn games and a fire pit area.
10. Go the Extra Distance to Set Your House Apart
Anything extra that can impress buyers is a wise idea. You might set out refreshments, stage the dining table with nice dishes, or purchase matching hangers for all closets. Finishing touches can make a world of difference.
Each of these tips will help your home shine. But it can be tough to find the time —and money— to properly stage your home. If all of this work makes you want to pull your hair out, you’re in the right place.
HomeGo is the solution to selling your house without having to stage anything. We buy houses as is, no repairs necessary. It’s simple, fast, and clear. Just schedule a 10-minute walk-through with a HomeGo agent, and we’ll make a cash offer on the spot.
