Stage Your Home For A Quick Sale: I Asked A Pro
Staging your home is crucial if you want it to sell quickly! Potential buyers have to visualize themselves living in this space. If it seems cluttered or there are tons of personal effects in place, it is hard for them to do so. They see it as your home and not theirs. If the home feels cluttered, they may feel like this house doesn't offer them the space they seek.
Potential buyers get an impression of a home on the market as soon as they see it. This includes viewing pictures or videos and seeing them in person. It should be welcoming to them, with a focal point in each room. Staging your home to give it a favourable appearance will get you an offer fast!
Curb Appeal Is The First Impression
The exterior appearance of a home often determines if someone will come inside to view it. Fresh paint, if needed, will get their attention. Windows should be clean, and the lawn should be trimmed. If you have a garden, keep it taken care of. When a home's exterior looks great, people assume the inside will be just as lovely. If it looks terrible outside, they will likely bypass going inside to see it. While this may be judging a book by its cover, it does make a difference.
Find The Focal Points
Create a key focal point in your home's living room and other main rooms. This will draw the eyes to it when potential buyers enter the room. It can be a fireplace, a spiral staircase, or the placement of French doors. Anything that brings your home to life and offers uniqueness.
Eliminate Any Odours
If you have pets, be mindful of the odours they may leave in your house. You may be used to this, but it can be a turnoff to someone interested in buying the place. Don't just mask odours; get to the core of them and remove them. If you smoke in your home, stop doing so and wash all the walls. Clean the floors, too, and get that smoke smell out of the house. Glass jars of vinegar set out for a few days will help absorb any foul odours.
Cohesiveness
While your personality shines through in your home, you want it to attract others so you can sell it quickly. There should be cohesiveness from one room to the next. If that doesn't happen, some changes can be implemented to help them blend from one to the next. If you have children, they may have plenty of expression in their bedrooms. If the walls are loud, paint them neutral so they don't stick out like a sore thumb.
The Small Things Matter
For the interior of your home, the small things matter. Deep clean the bathrooms and floors. Dust frequently. Fresh paint on the walls should be added if the paint is old. Update your curtains and shower curtains to give it a comfortable feel and plenty of visual appeal.
Potential homeowners will check closets and other storage areas, including under the sinks. Make sure these areas are organized and free from clutter. Sometimes, we get oblivious to small things in our homes that need attention; they have been like that for so long. Ask a friend or family member to walk through with you, pointing out anything they feel would be a turnoff if they considered buying the place.
Keep your home clean, and put things where they belong each day. You never know when someone will request a tour of the place. If it is messy, they aren't going to be thrilled with the prospect of moving into the house. The impression people get is if the home is clean and taken care of, there is a good chance routine maintenance on everything has been done.
Less is More with Furnishings
Remove unnecessary furniture from your home to make the rooms appear larger. The living room is a key room in any house that people look at closely. With less furniture in there, the open space gives a great impression. It is easy enough for a potential buyer to visualize their items in that room.
Declutter your home to make it attractive to someone interested in buying a home. Staging your house is a great time to go through each room and remove items you don't need or don't use. Create piles of things such as:
- Donate
- Recycle
- Repurpose
- Throw away
- Remove Personal Effects
While you love the pictures on your walls, they take away the ability to see themselves living in that house. They see those personal effects as this is your home, and they are in your space. Pack up collectibles, pictures, photo albums, and other personal items that most of us display around our house.
Let the Natural Light in
Open up the curtains and let the natural light shine in. This can enhance the beauty of the home. It can bring out the colours in the flooring and the twinkle in the lightning. The natural light gives any home a comfortable and relaxing feeling. When potential buyers feel an emotional connection while exploring a house, it can encourage them to make an offer.
Store Your Items
When possible, store the items you remove from the walls and furnishings and put them out of sight. If you have a garage or shed, that can be an excellent place to store the items neatly. Potential buyers will look in that area but won't mind seeing your boxes and other things because they know you are getting ready to move. It is even better to store them offsite, such as in a storage unit.
Consult The Pros
Consult a pro, and that is exactly what I did. Jessica, a home stager from fjco.ca, said:
"It can be hard to look at your home objectively, since there's often a certain level of attachment to it. But when prepping your home for sale, it's important to try to pinpoint the type of narrative and emotional connection you are hoping to create for the buyer. Professional home stagers are great at this! A thoughtfully staged home not only helps buyers visualize themselves in your space and form, but they also statistically sell faster and for more money. The emotional response prospective buyers experience when they view your home is often what puts the offer on the table. And don't count yourself out over a tight budget. Many home stagers offer consultations to help you style your space with the furniture and items you own, or provide partial staging services that incorporate key pieces you already own. "
Jessica also reiterated on the importance of letting in the light and decluttering.
