The goal of staging your home is to make it easier for a potential buyer to envision themselves living in the space. The majority of buyers during the Spring are millennials, who are known for their attention to details. Empty-nesters also tend to shop in the Spring. So what can you do to help these buyers fall in love with your home?
According to a report written by the National Association of Realtors, 81% of buyers say it's easier to visualize a property as their future home if it has been staged. The average cost to stage a home is about $675, but there are plenty of inexpensive and quick things you can do to stage your home before an open house. If you can only focus on one or two rooms, the following are the most important rooms to stage according, the NAR report: the living room, kitchen, master bedroom, dining room, bathroom, children's bedroom, and guest bedroom. Focusing on even just these five rooms will give your home a higher chance of selling quickly, and for a higher price.
Clean
Be sure to deeply clean all areas of your home, including the not-so-accessible spaces like closets and under-sink cabinets. Buyers will open any door they get their hands on, so don't risk an embarrassing surprise. Hiring a cleaning service is also a good idea, as they are able to smell things you have become accustomed to over the years, and will know the critical areas that need to be cleaned.
Adding a fresh set of white towels can really go far. The bright white of the towels will make the room seem more fresh and clean.
Make sure you clean outside your home as well, this is the first opportunity you have to grab potential buyer's attention. Sweeping cobwebs, weeding, mowing the lawn, adding a new welcome mat, planting fresh flowers if the weather is right, replacing burnt-out bulbs, hanging a festive wreath, and power washing siding and decks as needed can really go a long way.
Declutter
Clutter distracts potential buyers from seeing your home's best features. By removing this, you give potential buyers a better chance to see themselves living in the space. Think about tidying up as soon as you decide to sell your home, so you don't have to rush before an open house. You might even consider renting a storage unit to store your belongings in while you prepare to move.
When every cabinet in your home is full, it gives buyers the subconscious impression that you're home is lacking space. Same goes for your garage. If your garage is stacked with boxes it will make buyers question whether there is enough space for their belongings.
Curtains may tie a room together and have plenty of practical uses, but when it comes to selling your home — ditch 'em. Potential buyers want to see how much light each room gets, and keeping curtains up, regardless of how beautiful, tend to make a room feel darker and dated.
Roll up your old rugs. Hardwood floors are a major selling point these days and an old, tattered rug can be a real turn off. Make sure to remove any rugs in the kitchen, as the room will instantly feel cleaner and more spacious once they're gone.
TIP - Pull your furniture away from the wall to make your room appear bigger.
Depersonalize
You will want to remove all personal photographs and mementos from around your home. Buyers want to come in and envision themselves in your home — they don't want to think about it as someone else's home.
Make Minor Upgrades
The first thing you will want to do is make sure that you repair all the squeaky doors, chipped paint, as well as any broken fixtures and fittings you have learned to live with over the years. You might not mind the squeaky basement door, but potential buyers will.
A neutral home appears larger, and you have less of a chance of turning off potential buyers with some crazy, on-trend accent wall. Freshening up your home with a few cans of paint can really go a long way.
You don't have to replace the cabinets or the counters to give your kitchen an updated feel. Replacing old drawer pulls is a great, and inexpensive way to modernize an older kitchen. Talk with your real estate agent about trends they are seeing with what buyers are impressed with if you're not sure which direction to go in. Think about updating doorknobs, light switches, and outlets for the same reason.
Replacing old lighting features throughout the house can also help to modernize and maximize the feel of the space. Even just buying new, white lampshades brighten and modernize a room.
TIP - Turn on every light in your house, this will brighten the space, making it feel larger as well as give potential buyers confidence that you have nothing to hide. Remember, you aren't trying to set an atmosphere like you would at a dinner party, you are trying to sell your house.
Update Decor
Setting the dining room table can really liven up a room. Keep it simple and modern — white plates with stainless steel cutlery and stemless wine glasses atop a neutral placemat or tablecloth keeps it clean yet modern. If you think the room needs a pop of color, add a vibrant napkin.
Once you get rid of family photos a space may feel a little empty. Think about adding metallic accents around the room to modernize the space without risking it with colors that may turn some buyers off.
Consider adding mirrors as you replace family photographs. They add more light and can help enlarge the appearance of smaller rooms. Photography can also be a great way to modernize a room and add a pop of color, avoid photos of people as, again, this can be distracting to potential buyers.
Renting furniture can also be an effective way to help potential buyers envision themselves in your home, especially if you have outdated, worn-out furniture.
Give Each Room a Purpose
Ensure that every room in the home has a defined purpose, even if it's not the purpose you use the room for. For example, carving out an office space can really help a millennial buyer envision themself working from home, even if you don't. The idea is to help potential buyers visualize how to maximize the available space.
