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Five Easy Steps to Stage Your Bathroom

By
Real Estate Agent with Long and Foster Real Estate VA License # 0225089470

Five Easy Steps to Stage Your Bathroom

We all know that kitchens and bathrooms sell houses.  So how do you get them ready when your house is about to hit the market?  This post will give you five easy steps to get your bathroom show ready.

1.  CLEAN 

Make sure the soap scum in the tub, shower and sinks is long gone.  Mildew stains too.  Don't forget the toilets.  Wiping down the shower, sink and tub after use will continue to give it a clean glow.

2.  DECLUTTER COUNTERTOPS 

This is a must.  How we live is not what we want people to see.  Toothpaste and toothbrushes should be put in medicine cabinets or underneath the sink in vanities.  Same goes for brushes, hair dryers, creams, perfumes, etc.  Hand soap and towels on the counter is acceptable.  The rest should find a home elsewhere. 

3.  BYE BYE PLUNGER. TOILET BRUSH & TRASH CAN 

No one wants to think about a clogged toilet during their house hunt.  They don't want to think about cleaning either.  What you can't put in a vanity, put in a trash bag and store in a closet.

4.  REMOVE AS MANY RUGS AS POSSIBLE

Having rugs by the sinks, the bath tub, shower and toilet are great to wick moisture and keep your feet from getting cold, but they make your bathroom appear smaller than it is.  Show as much of your floor as possible.  If you absolutely need to, you can keep one rug to stand on when you get out of the shower.  Of course, wiping the floor down will be necessary about showering or bathing as well.  Leave a few extra minutes for that in your morning routine.

5.  MAKE THE MASTER BATHROOM AN OASIS 

A large soaking tub needs a bit of soft touches to make it appear as the oasis you want it to be.  Plush towels rolled up by the tub, or one draped over the bath.  Candles are a great touch here as well. Or greenery.

Living a clean and decluttered life is not easy.  Be sure to neatly hang towels after their use.  Don't leave piles of laundry on the floor.  Make the space inviting.  You don't want someone to feel they've walked into a locker room.

Comments(52)

Dorte Engel
RE/MAX Leading Edge - Bowie, MD
ABC - Annapolis, Bowie, Crofton & rest of Maryland

Dear Chris Ann,

Excellent advice. A squeegee is an great tool for keeping the shower clean, when you are still living there. It is even handy, when you are not selling, because it keeps water vapor out of the air (less mold) and lets you hold off on cleaning as often. Maybe some white cotton shop towels under the sink could be handy too for drying off surfaces like the sink quickly after use and keeping the home show ready. They are great, because you can just throw them in the wash.

Jan 01, 2013 04:39 AM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

Bob:  They are nasty little devices, but when you need one...you need one.

Lyn:  It's strange when you look at it that way, isn't it?  Rugs on everything?  But that's exactly what they are.

Dorte:  Great advice.  I know I love my squeegee in my shower.

Jan 01, 2013 05:47 AM
Tina Gleisner
Home Tips for Women - Portsmouth, NH
Home Tips for Women

Think I'd also add to the list, replace caulking if it's not clean.

Jan 01, 2013 06:05 AM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

Tina:  Great one!  Thanks for adding that.

Jan 01, 2013 06:22 AM
Sharon Parisi
United Real Estate Dallas - Dallas, TX
Dallas Homes

Chris Ann,

You have provided an easy to implement and inexpensive plan for Sellers to make their bathrooms more attractive to potential Buyers.

Jan 01, 2013 09:51 AM
Dana Basiliere
Rossi & Riina Real Estate - Williston, VT
Making deals "Happen"

Chris,

Nice photos. Baths are often overlooked.. They should always be staged including being clean and smelling nice.

Jan 01, 2013 11:51 AM
Bill & Cyndi Daves
Hiawassee, Young Harris, Blairsville, Hayesville, Murphy and Beyond! - Hiawassee, GA
TeamDAVES - Your REALTORS In the GA/NC Mountains!

Chris Ann - Perhaps we should add "remember to FLUSH"!!!  Numerous times I've walked into a bathroom and had to flush a surprise the sellers had left behind.

Cyndi

Jan 01, 2013 08:27 PM
Anonymous
Lorraine Toppi

Great info.  One thing that I would add:  A clean modern shower curtain!  Nothing dates a bathroom quicker than an old shower curtain and curtain rings with flowers or ducks! (with matching rugs and toilet seat cover)  Get rid of them and replace the curtain with a new white curtain and stainless rings.

Jan 02, 2013 01:49 AM
#40
Samantha Smith
214.422.0729 www.SamIAmHouses.com - Rowlett, TX
Sam I Am Houses, Simply Texas Real Estate

De Cluttering the SHOWER is a must as well!

Jan 02, 2013 01:52 AM
Susan Emo
Sotheby's International Realty Canada - Brokerage - Kingston, ON
Kingston and the 1000 Islands Area
Nice to see a 2011 blog post being revived and on the roll again - good job! Just goes to show the importance of bathrooms and kitchens!!
Jan 02, 2013 01:58 AM
Suzi Sandore
RealtyONEGroup - San Diego, CA
North County San Diego Homes

So often people seem to forget about cleaning and decluttering the bath. A sparkling clean bathroom can do wonders for a house. 

Jan 02, 2013 02:40 AM
Kathy Dowd
EXP Realty, 239 220 4133 - The Villages, FL
Consider it SOLD

Thanks for the reminders...one thing I can't stand is viewing pictures on the MLS...the toilet lid up.

Jan 02, 2013 05:00 AM
Susan Haughton
Long and Foster REALTORS (703) 470-4545 - Alexandria, VA
Susan & Mindy Team...Honesty. Integrity. Results.

I put "staging towels" in my sellers' bathrooms, tell them NOT TO TOUCH THEM and suggest they throw their wet towels in the dryer after they use them. It sounds like a pain, but once they see their bathroom all staged and pretty, they are eager to help as much as they can. 

Jan 02, 2013 05:28 AM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

Sharon:  I don't know why this post got so popular again, but it's nice that it's still getting the word out.

Dana:  Clean and smelling good, or at least not stinking, is very important.

Cyndi:  GROSS!  Thankfully, that hasn't happened to me.

Lorraine:  Shower curtain rings are the worst.

 

Jan 02, 2013 08:54 AM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

Samantha:  Good one.  No pulling the curtain to hide it.

Susan:  I don't know how it got noticed again, but it was definitely revived.  I think it may have been because of a reblog.

Suzi:  Bathrooms and kitchens are the money rooms.

Kathy:  That one doesn't bother me if the toilet is clean.  

Susan:  Very funny.  Never thought of drying the towels after they use them.

 

Jan 02, 2013 08:56 AM
Kimo Jarrett
Cyber Properties - Huntington Beach, CA
Pro Lifestyle Solutions

Great post and timely tips that I can use for an open house with 5 bathrooms. Thanks for sharing.

Jan 02, 2013 05:10 PM
Rob Renk
Center Street Lending - McKinney, TX
AE | Fast Fix/Flip Loans for Residential Investors

Great post.  5 easy steps to follow to help make the bathrooms help sell the home.  Thanks for the share.

Jan 02, 2013 10:43 PM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

Kimo:  That's a lot of bathrooms!  Sounds like a big house.

Rob:  Glad you enjoyed it.

Jan 03, 2013 01:58 AM
Gene Riemenschneider
Home Point Real Estate - Brentwood, CA
Turning Houses into Homes

You did that and did not even have to put in the "Potty" shot that I hate so much.  You also did a picture without getting yourself in the mirror!

Jan 15, 2013 02:22 AM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

Gene:  Yep.  Get low and out of the way.

Jan 15, 2013 04:42 AM