Whether it’s a buyer’s or seller’s market, home staging can help you market your home and sell it quickly at a higher price. Staging rooms helps buyers visualize your house as their future home, and just a few low-cost, do-it-yourself fixes can be all you need to increase your chances of making a sale. From staging and organizing to making your home look and feel newer, here are six tips that can make a big impact on potential buyers:
1. Clean and Declutter
You don’t want messy rooms or personal belongings distracting buyers from seeing the potential of your home, so start by cleaning and decluttering your home. According to home-staging expert Tori Toth, a clean sweep is the most cost-effective way to get your home ready to show. “You’re just paying for cleaning supplies and using some elbow grease,” she says. “Clean everything from the top down, making sure everything looks as new as possible, and maintain it until your home is sold.”
Decluttering is as easy as clearing out anything you don’t need for your daily routine until your house sells. Toth suggests removing at least half of your belongings from your home. “Start packing it and getting it out of the way — put it in your attic, basement, garage or storage unit, or toss it out.”
2. Refresh the Look
Looking for an easy way to make a first impression? Paint is a home-staging trick you may want to take advantage of. “Paint is one of the most affordable ways to change the entire look of a room,” says Toth. “It not only looks fresh and clean, but it may ward off any odors in your home, as well, whether they’re from smoking or pets.”
Neutral colors are typically recommended because you never know what your buyers are going to like. “It’s better to go neutral on the walls and use color on the accessories,” advises Toth. You can also incorporate hues found in your natural surroundings, such as beachy blues and greens if you’re located near the ocean. If you opt for a bolder paint, “put it on one wall or in one area, but not an entire room. Blues, grays and greens tend to be pretty neutral.”
3. Take Care of Repairs
Making needed repairs, which can range from fixing leaky faucets to replacing light fixtures that don’t work, can make your home move-in ready and increase your home’s resale value.
“What I like to tell my clients is to go around your home and make a list of anything that needs to be done in order to improve that room’s appearance,” says Toth. “Maybe it’s just minor repairs, such as changing light switches, light fixtures, a doorknob or molding, or refinishing the wood floors. These are all inexpensive if you hire someone to do it or do it yourself.”
4. Get Organized
Expect curious homebuyers to be peeking inside closets and cupboards. According to Toth, buyers like to look around and they want to know what it would feel like to live in your house, so make sure everything is organized. “When a house looks neat and orderly, it makes buyers feel like you care and they have to believe that you’ve maintained it over the years,” says Toth. She also shared the following organization tricks:
- Tuck away clothes, scarves and hats inside boxes or baskets on top of your closet shelves.
- Use shelf dividers to separate sweaters and shoes.
- Use the same type and color of hangers.
- Group like items and like colors together.
- Roll towels and stash bed linens inside baskets.
- Store foods inside clear containers.
- Line up packaged foods in the same direction with labels facing forward.
5. Rearrange Furniture
Try to showcase each room in a way that appeals to most buyers and makes the best use of each space. “Relocate furniture pieces to different rooms, combining new things together while making sure you’re maximizing square footage,” says Toth. “It can change up the look and get buyers to see the amount of space that’s actually there.”
6. Add Curb Appeal
Curb appeal simply means making your home look welcoming from the first glance. This can be easily achieved with a little sprucing up and without breaking the bank. For instance, you could add some flower pots, a welcome mat, a wreath or a new paint color to the front door. “This is the first thing buyers notice. Definitely put some money toward the front of the house and make it look good,” says Toth.
A few simple changes can make all the difference, so set the stage for a successful sale by following these budget-friendly home staging tips. Whether you’re just feeling inspired or you’re in the middle of trying to sell your home, head to Gott Real Estate for all the information you need to know.
