The Seller’s Home Staging To-Do List
A real estate agent is an invaluable partner who can help sell your home quickly. As a homeowner, there are a few things you can do to help sell your home even faster. One of the most effective things you can do is to stage your home.
Home staging is proven to be one of the best real estate marketing strategies for selling a home faster and for more money. All it takes is a small investment and a little bit of effort to get it all back tenfold. Think of home staging like the packaging of a product. You wouldn’t try to sell something in stores without the right packaging to attract buyers. The same concept applies to home staging.
By staging a home, you make it stand out from the competition, tap into the buyer’s psychology, and give buyers the confidence to make an offer.
Follow our home staging to-do list below to get proactive about selling your home.
Home Staging To-Do List
Before It Goes on the Market
Neutralize the Decor
The first task on your home staging to-do list is to neutralize your décor. In a perfect world, all buyers could see past personalized décor to the bones of a home and completely disregard the cosmetic details. However, most buyers struggle to see past surface details like bright colors and outdated styling. That’s why we always strongly recommend neutralizing everything and then accenting it with some subtle pops of color. This will make your home appeal to more buyers and let them imagine their own decor in its place, which is an important step in making them feel attached to the property so that they are motivated to submit an offer.
Remove Personal Items
The second task on your home staging to-do list is to remove your personal items. Personal items such as family photos, awards, or kids’ art are reminders to buyers that they are walking through a stranger’s home. This is very uncomfortable for most people. This sense of discomfort affects how they feel about the home and makes them rushed to leave. To avoid this kind of distraction, remove anything personal from view.
Deep Clean and Declutter
The next task on your home staging to-do list is to clean and declutter your home. Decluttering is one of the most important parts of staging a home for sale. Even the tidiest homes still need to be decluttered a bit to make them ready for the market because every piece of décor affects how your home feels. Full bookshelves, items on the kitchen counter, and even the size of your furniture can make a room feel cramped and smaller than it is. Thin out the items on your surfaces and pack away as much from your closets as you can to visually expand these areas.
Deep cleaning is also a must. Even if your home is maintained regularly, home buyers will be looking at everything and even the smallest things like a dusty vent or dirty baseboards can be off-putting to buyers. Invest in professional housekeepers to come in and give your home a deep cleaning.
After It Goes on the Market
Once you’ve completed the first part of the home staging to-do list, you can list your home for sale—but the staging process doesn’t end there. Make sure that you don’t reverse all of your hard work by letting your house get messy and cluttered again. Instead, follow the tips below to keep your home in tip-top shape for potential buyers.
Put Toiletries Away
After you use them, always put your toiletries away somewhere out of view. This includes things like toothbrushes and toothpaste, perfume and cologne, and bath items. These things read as clutter to buyers and remind them that they are walking through a stranger’s home, which takes their focus away from the home itself.
Keep Out the Clutter
Stay on top of the clutter that naturally accumulates in any household. Every day, go through the house and pick up anything that’s loose. Whenever someone uses anything, make sure that it’s put away right after they’re done with it. Being diligent about clutter for a short period while your house is on the market will help it sell faster.
Clean Everyday
After you’ve had your home deep cleaned, keep it maintained every day while your home is up for sale. Clean off the surfaces, vacuum the floors, and keep the outdoor areas tidy. Just fifteen minutes a day can keep it looking great so that it’s ready for a showing at any time.
Would you like help with staging your home? We’re here for you. Contact us to request a free quote today.