Well, it’s been a very busy time!
I’ve been preparing my own house for staging to sell. What a job! Giving clients, friends and family staging advice can be very different to doing it for yourself. Here are a few tips, some tried tested and true and a few new ones:
- Depersonalize. Make a point of taking the multitudes of family and personal photos and pack them away. Potential home buyers need not see all those photos. They need to picture themselves in the home, not you.
- Decluter. All those knick knacks, chicken and cow memorabilia – put it away. No one needs to see your favourite stuff. They need to see a blank canvas so they can envision their own things in the space.
- Divorce yourself. You need to come to terms with your decision that you are selling your home. If you are able to disconnect emotionally, you will be able to get through the process much easier. Think of it as a house on the market rather than ‘your’ home.
- Clean, Clean and Clean again! Ensure all surfaces are spotless. Clean up any cauĺking around window sills and in bathrooms. Wash windows, clear cobwebs. This is so important. I have gone through a number of open houses, and the number of filthy homes really surprised me. Buyers will be turned off.
- Take pictures – this a new consideration. When you think you are done, take photos. Have a look at how others will see your space. I moved and repositioned a lot of items. It helped me see through another lense, if you will. You will also see how the professional photos will turn out.
- Stage to the most number of potential buyers. When staging make sure it will appeal to the most number of potential buyers. Now is not the time to be fluffy and chitnzy, be more neutral.
- Be calming. If you have bold and funky colours, consider repainting to a more neutral colour scheme. Not everyone will like your colour choices. If the colours are neutral, they will be able to picture themselves in the space.
- Maximize space. Now is the time to edit all the furniture in the space. Consider how all the furniture pieces really need to be in the space. Edit what you don’t need.
- Don’t forget the outside. Tidy up flower beds, put down new mulch and put out your garden furniture, and don’t overdue it. Keep it simple and relevant.
- While staging, consider what you can give to the needy, what you may want to sell and that which you can actually pack away for the proposed move.
Lastly, edit, edit edit and clean clean clean!
I hope this has helped in your potential move. Tell me what you thought of the post, I’d love to hear from you. Do you need help with staging, questions or suggestions, contact me.