You’re putting your home on the market and want it to show its absolute best. So, it is crucial that you highlight everything your home has to offer when you show it to potential buyers. According to the National Association of Realtors, 49% of agents believe that selling your home quickly requires home staging and 77% of agents believe that it’s easier for buyers out house hunting to visualize a property as their own.
If you want your home to look it’s best and sell faster, you’ll need to spend some time staging your home. The challenge is staging your home so that you sell your house fast but doing it without spending too much money.
The good news is that there are plenty of ways to stage your home without breaking the bank. The following are 8 great ideas to help you spruce up your home without breaking the bank or spending more than you will get a return to do it.
1. A Fresh Coat Of Paint
Putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls is always a great idea and should be your first step after moving your furniture out of the home. This is especially true for older homes where the paint may be a bit more faded or chipped. A fresh coat of paint can make the house look newer and feel brighter to prospective buyers.
The sharper and newer the house looks, the more potential buyers you will attract. We recommend getting quality paint and using the opportunity of having an empty house (assuming you have already moved your items out) to paint as much as you possibly can. You can get a quality paint for between $30 and $60 this is an easy, inexpensive way to make your home look bigger, newer, and brighter than it did before. Additionally, don’t forget to use a neutral color of paint such as light grey or off white.
2. Put Away Personal Items
Clearing away all the clutter and putting away personal items makes it easier for potential buyers walking through your home to visualize it as their own home. The best way to do this is to set as much of a blank canvas as possible so that the home has style and charm.
Make your space “neutral” as possible by putting away personal mementos such as kids’ ribbons/sports trophies, family pictures, toiletries in the bathroom etc. so your space is friendlier to people walking through during your home’s showing. Additionally, you’ll want to remove anything religious from the walls.
This allows the potential buyer to visualize the space as their own rather than someone else’s house full of their memories and personal items.
3. Clear The Clutter
Create more space! Clearing out the clutter in a home makes space look bigger and helps the buyer visualize the square footage they are getting in a more efficient manner. Buyers typically want more square footage for their money, so showcasing that is important. Removing all personal stuff such as the stack of mail that has piled up on the coffee table or the kid’s toys that are usually scattered around the living room can help open up your space and make it look larger.
If it’s not an essential item, you should consider putting it in storage or using it as an opportunity to throw some things away. Staging your home with kids can be tough, but this is a great way to make the home look more spacious and clean!
In addition to clearing out all of your clutter, make sure your home has been deep cleaned. Consider hiring professional cleaning services to do this because you’ll want the home to shine as much as possible. A perfectly clean home communicates to prospective buyers that the person living there not only kept the house clean but most likely took care of other issues in the home.
4. Ensure That Everything In Your Home Works
This may seem pretty obvious, but ensuring that everything in your home works is another key to staging and selling your home. Showing your potential buyers that your home is in excellent and working condition means there is less they have to fix when they move in.
Ensuring everything works implies everything from your showers and dishwasher to your stove and oven to your toilets and sinks run, work, and operate smoothly. Allowing potential buyers to test everything from faucets to showers to appliances in your home will allow them to leave in good faith that everything works and the home they are getting is in good working condition. Consider fixing leaky faucets, toilets, lights, squeaky doors, poorly functioning windows, etc.
5. Replace Burned-Out Light Bulbs
Replacing burned out light bulbs with working bulbs with appropriate wattage allows you to ensure that your home is adequately lit. This can help potential buyers see your home as a cheery, inviting, and welcoming space with great lighting which makes the home more appealing and helps it seem more “move-in ready.”
Additionally, consider adding more natural light to your home by opening up window curtains which will also make the rooms look bigger. When you have an open house or showings, turn on all the lights in the house including lamps and closet lights. Not only will this make your home more welcoming, it will also make it easier for buyers to tour your home without looking around for light switches.
6. Clean the Floors
Ensure that your floors are clean. Sweep and vacuum to help get up any pet hair or other debris that may be on the floor. Remove smudge marks from tile, shampoo your carpets, and clean your hardwood floors.
Be sure to clean floors between viewings too as shoes and footprints can be left on the floor and can leave a bad impression on the people who come through the second, third, etc. day of showings.
7. Consider Staining or Painting Cabinets
Staining or painting cabinets that are otherwise out of date can help your kitchen and bathrooms look more up-to-date. The cost of doing this is relatively inexpensive and can make a great impression on buyers, without spending more than about $200. This can be much less expensive than ripping out, replacing, and installing all new cabinets, which may take days or several weeks to complete.
8. Clean Your Bathrooms
Be sure that your bathrooms are clean and in tip-top shape. There is nothing worse than a sink full of hair, toothpaste stains, or a shower that hasn’t been cleaned in years when you are showing your home. Please put away some of the things that are part of everyday life that gross some folks out. Spend a few extra minutes to ensure your bathrooms are clean.
These are just a few great tips to ensure that your home is in tip-top shape when you are staging it to ensure that you can get the best price out of your home when you are ready to sell. Keeping your home in great shape for a showing can help you get the premium price your home deserves and help it sell in a prompt, timely manner.
Other items to consider when staging your home
In addition to what is listed above, consider completing the following minor tasks to make your home in the best condition possible:
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- Clean the yard: You’ll want to add curb appeal to the yard by planting flowers and shrubberies. Consider scheduling someone to come cut your grass if you will not be available to do so.
- Get rid of smells: If the drains in your bathroom smell or you have lingering pet odors, make sure to get rid of these as they will detract potential buyers.
- Showcase storage space: Organize all of your closets and storage spaces so that buyers can see how much room your home actually has with regards to storing their personal belongings.
- Rearrange your furniture: Consider rearranging your furniture and home decor so that there is more space in the home. Adjust your dining room table, dining chairs, master bedroom furniture, and living room so buyers can see how much space you actually have.
- New kitchen appliances: Kitchens are often a major selling point so upgrading your kitchen appliances can make the home more attractive to buyers.
Need a great agent to help you sell your home?
If you’re looking for agents with more experience than 99% of other real estate agents in the country and with intimate knowledge of the neighborhoods you’re searching, consider Trelora. Additionally, Trelora gives you a screaming deal – we split our buyer’s agent commission with you when you buy a house with us. Finally, Trelora’s proprietary technology makes online home searching a snap and allows you to coordinate communication with your Trelora agent quickly and efficiently.
Christopher has been been in the Real Estate industry for 8 years and has had the opportunity to close over 1,000 deals while acting as the Managing Broker for thousands more. Christopher is passionate about continuing to find ways to simplify, maximize, and serve Trelora’s clients exceptionally well and spends his time building teams to deliver high levels of service. When not doing real estate Christopher can be seen training for marathons and ultra relays with his 2 year old daughter, eating pizza, and drinking a steady stream of Diet Coke.