Here are some Home Staging tips that will help you as you prepare your home for sale.

Always remember to try looking at your house “THROUGH THE BUYER’S EYES” as though you’ve never seen it or been there before. Any time or money invested on the following will bring back more money in return, and hopefully a faster sale.

 

OUTSIDE:

Go around the perimeter of the house and move all garbage cans, discarded wood scraps, extra building materials, etc., into the garage.

• Check gutters and roof moss and dry rot. Make sure they are swept and cleaned.
• Look at all plants… prune bushes and trees. Keep plants from blocking windows.
• Weed and then mulch all planting areas. Keep lawn freshly cut and fertilized.
• Remove any dead plants or shrubs.
• Clear patios or decks of all small items such as small planters, flower pots, charcoal, barbecues, toys, etc.. (Put them in the garage or a storage unit.)
• Check paint condition of the house — especially the front door and trim. “CURB APPEAl REALLY WORKS!”
• Make sure that the numbers on your house are visible, that the lighting works an the hardware on the front door is immaculate.

 

INSIDE:

• Clear all unnecessary objects from furniture throughout the house. Keep decorative objects on the furniture restricted to groups of 1, 3, or 5 items.
• Clear all unnecessary objects from the kitchen countertops. If it hasn’t been used for three months… put it away! Clear refrigerator front door of messages, pictures, etc. (A sparse kitchen helps the buyer mentally move their own things into your kitchen.)
• In the bathroom, remove any unnecessary items from countertops, tubs, shower stalls and      commode tops. Keep only your most needed cosmetics, brushes, perfumes etc., in one small group on the counter. Coordinate towels to one or two colors only.
• Rearrange or remove some of the furniture if necessary. When it comes to selling, less is more.
• Take down, or rearrange certain pictures or objects on walls. Patch and paint if necessary.
• Review the house inside room by room, and paint any room  or trim that needs paint.
• If the space allows you to do so, float furniture. It will help with traffic flow in an throughout the space.
• Mix it up. Don’t be afraid to mix the old with the new. Just know that not all of it works but it does not hurt to try it out.
• Repurpose any unused rooms or multifunctional rooms.
• Rearrange your art in new creative ways. Same goes for bookshelves. Try to work with big substantial pieces for a more modern look.
• One way to give an old piece of furniture new life is by painting it.
• Bring the indoors in. Flowers are a men’s best friend and they do have a tendency to make everyone ( that includes the buyers) happy.
• Clean carpets or drapes that need it.
• Clean Windows.
• If you need room to store extra possessions rent a storage unit. If you must use the  garage, keep it as organized as possible when storing things and your home is for sale.
• Leave on certain lights during the day. During “showings” turn on all lights and lamps.
• Use color creatively and try to coordinate it throughout the house.
• And last but not least: always make sure that the toilet seat is down whether it is for photos to be put on MLS or during private showings or an open house.