Do-It-Yourself Home Staging

Little things can make a big difference in selling your home

If your real estate agent suggests that you spend a little time staging your home, you should listen to this advice. While you may love your home as it is, a buyer is looking at your house through entirely different eyes. Staging your home emphasizes your home’s best features while deemphasizing any weaknesses. Staging need not be expensive – there are a lot of little things a home owner can to make a good impression without spending a lot of money.

First, repair anything that needs fixing. It’s easy to live with minor problems for years, but a buyer seeing your home for the first time will notice small imperfections. Let your real estate agent help you do a survey of your home and don’t feel slighted if problems are pointed out to you.

Once everything is repaired, clean your house from top to bottom, even in places you think people will never look. (They will.) Windows, mirrors and hard surface floors should gleam. Clean the grout, not just the tile. If the walls are dingy, refresh them with new paint. Sweep the garage and considering painting the garage floor. Don’t scrimp on lighting. A bright home makes a good impression while a dark home will seem smaller and dingy. Avoid overhead lighting except in work areas. Table and floor lamps give softer shadows.

If a room is crowded with furniture, get rid of some pieces, even if you just move them to the garage. Pack up personal items and knickknacks (you have to pack them to move anyway) including family photos, awards and religious items. Remove fridge magnets and notes. A good rule of thumb is that there should not be more than four items on any flat surface, including floors and walls. Your goal is a home that’s attractive but impersonal, so the buyers can picture themselves living there.

In neutral colored rooms, add a spot or two of bright color (a throw pillow, a vase with fresh flowers, a brightly colored tea pot, perhaps.) Move furniture away from walls into cozy groups, which will make the room seem larger and friendlier.

Your front door is the first thing a buyer sees, so consider painting it a bright, welcoming color. Currently, deep red is popular, but other colors can also work. Avoid primary colors, but chose colors that are in style and that are found in nature. The paint expert at your local hardware store can help you choose. In warm weather, bright flowers outside the front door will increase the ‘welcome’ effect.

Once a buyer makes an appointment to see the house, do a quick cleaning and straightening job. Hang up clothes, put away dishes, toothbrushes and cleaning supplies. Make the beds with matching linens. Dishes shouldn’t be left drying in a rack. Even the bathroom cup should shine. Wipe out all sinks and, for heaven’s sake, put the toilet lid into the down position (unless you think buyers are in love with exposed plumbing.)

The result of a well staged home is a house that should sell for more money and in a shorter time. The time and money you put in to staging will be worth it at closing.

Contact Kim Melin for staging suggestions specific to your home.