Stage to Sell: 5 Free Simple Staging Tips Anyone Can Master, Part 1 in Michelle's Stage to Sell Series
by Michelle Carr-Crowe, Top 5% Silicon Valley real estate agent & staging specialist
Like a professional real estate consultant, a professional staging consultant offers a wealth of talent and experience to help you effectively prepare your home for sale.
Staging sounds like a formidable term, doesn't it? Instead, think of it as making the home as appealing and welcoming as possible to the maximum number of people.
Keep in mind that the more light and space in a home, the better and more appealing it appears to the majority of buyers.
Following are my five favorite basic "home prep for staging" tips:
1) Clean. Clean again. Bleach or disinfect. Then clean once more - inside and out. This means windows, window sills, door handles, door frames, switch covers, front doors, outdoor walkways and all carpets, too. Especially be sure to get cobwebs at the front entry as well as the garage and closets.
2) Remove large, flow-interruping or "statement" furniture that doesn't add the right "look" to the home. If you desperately need to keep your old, torn recliner, at least purchase a neutral recliner cover for it so it blends in with the home.
3) Pack all collectibles, photos and personal items and store them away either in the rafters, attic, basement or off-site.
4) Remove, throw away and donate stuff and clutter. Stuff and clutter means old and broken items, clothing on the floor, boxes you haven't looked into for a year or more, "good intentions" items, things you mean to donate, etc.)
5) Pack up regularly-occurring "messy business" into temporary organizers. Think "good for now" rather than "the perfect system." Place piles of things around the home such as unread mail, bills to pay, projects, childrens homework materials, etc. into color-coded bins or organizers (e.g. blue for Dad, green for Mom, pink for Jennie, orange for Lance).
Finished? Great! I apologize, but you'll need to repeat number one once more - clean inside and out. Now you're ready to actually begin staging. Look for more free staging tips tomorrow in Stage to Sell: Intermediate Staging Almost Anyone Can Do: Part 2 in Michelle's Stage to Sell Series.
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