10 Tips For Staging Your Home To Sell in Nashville

If you really want to sell your home in today's market, it must stand out from the competition. Staging sets your home apart and attracts buyers like bees to honey.  Staging is all about appealing to the masses and helps buyers develop an emotional attachment to your home.

Below are 10 tips for staging your home to sell in Nashville:

1.   Don't Get Dressed Up Without Taking a Shower- having a clean home is essential when selling. No one wants to move into someone else's dirt. Scrub the house from top to bottom so it can pass the White Glove Test. Don't forget key areas most home sellers forget: baseboards, light fixtures, air return vents, cabinet doors, inside appliances, windows, tubs and showers, tile grout, and door handles.  I wrote a blog, Why Are You Getting All Dressed Up and Not Taking a Shower?  describing areas many home sellers forget to clean. Putting your house on the market without giving it a good deep cleaning is like going to the prom without taking a shower.

2.   Got stuff? - Most of us have too much of it. We bring it in one bag at a time and don't notice how cluttered our house really is. The more clutter you have the harder it is for a buyer to see the great features of your home. It appears much smaller than it truly is and will turn off a buyer very quickly. Get rid of the extra items you haven't used in a while.  Store belongings off site, have a yard sale, throw it away, or donate to Nashville flood victims. I'm sure a family who lost everything would greatly appreciate the items you no longer need. Plus, when you get rid of items, moving day will be so much easier.

3.   Take The "Me" Out of Your Home - Let's face it, Nashville is a town where everyone knows everyone. If a buyer walks through a home that has family photos plastered throughout, they will easily get distracted. They want to know if they know you and if not, that baby in the photo certainly is gorgeous. And so is that one, and that one and that one................

Do you really want buyers to remember your beautiful children or the home you are selling?

4.   Know What You Are Dealing With Upfront- Is there a leak in your roof or water damage in the crawl space?  Make repairs before you put your house on the market. Consider getting a pre-list home inspection to uncover any maintenance issues you will want to address.  By dealing with any issues up front you will tell the buyer you are serious about selling, be confident (and not on pins and needles) when the buyer hires their own home inspector to evaluate the house, and have time to hire the right professional to do the job versus trying to find someone in a hurry and possibly delay closing.  

5.   Walls Should Be The Backdrop - Red may be your favorite color, but leaving your bedroom bright red will surely turn off buyers. Remember, you are trying to appeal to the masses.  You must neutralize the color of your house to appeal to a broad range of buyers.  Neutral doesn't have to mean builder beige. Great neutrals are soft greens, powder blues, light grays, warm creams, and buttery yellows. Pops of color should be added with your accessories, throw pillows, artwork, and accent pieces.

6.   Bring Your Home Into Today - Buyers love an updated and fresh home and it makes all the difference when selling. Removing dated balloon valances, replacing brass light fixtures and adding slipcovers to worn out furniture are all inexpensive ways to freshen up the look of any home without breaking the bank.  New cabinet hardware, a fresh coat of paint, and adding crown moulding can work wonders too.

7.   Are You Hiding An Asset? - Furniture placement is extremely important when selling your home. Rearrange the furniture so traffic can easily flow around it. Many times people have too much or overstuffed furniture in a room making it look smaller than it really is. Scale down and arrange the furniture so it shows off the great architectural features of the space such as a fireplace or a wall of windows.  

8.   Create Useable Space - Buyers look at the useable square footage when evaluating a home. If a buyer doesn't know what the intended use is supposed to be they certainly won't pay for it. Maybe a pass through can become a great place to read a book if a bench or small couch were added. A deck can become a wonderful entertaining area with multiple conversation zones. A large extra closet can become a great craft nook or homework zone if a small desk were added.  Think about ways every space can be used to the fullest.

9.   Don't Play the Guessing Game - Avoid selling that "catch all room". You know that room that has the treadmill you no longer use, the boxes full of stuff you are planning on giving away, the spare guest bed, and the many other things that tend to pile up because you have no other place for it. If it is a bedroom, show it is a bedroom. If it is an office show it is an office.  Show buyers what the room is. Don't make them guess. Buyers hate that game.

10. If You Got It Flaunt It - Do you have hardwoods under that carpet or a great basement you are not using? Remove that carpet, expose those gorgeous hardwood floors and add instant value to your home. Do you have a basement that can be an in-law suite or teenager's private haven? Go ahead and finish it off. You can add tremendous value, just make sure you don't over improve for your neighborhood.  (Consulting with your Realtor for the best return on your investment is a good idea before you start any home improvement project).