Staging a Home for Sale

   Home Staging Tips & Checklist

Naturally, you want the highest possible price for the sale of your home.

You can go a long way toward accomplishing your goal by making your home as appealing as possible. This is absolutely critical. Think of it this way - when you shop for a car, you don’t look at vehicles that are less than immaculate. The same thing applies to home sales.

What you are looking for is “wow” appeal. As potential buyers tour your home, they should be impressed with its appearance and cleanliness - in short, pride in ownership. It should tell the buyer that their future home has been well taken care of, and let’s face it, there aren’t many people that want to purchase a home only to clean it upon occupancy. This can make a difference of thousands of dollars!

Before putting your house on the market, take as much time as necessary (and spend as little money as possible) to maximize its exterior and interior appeal.

Here are suggested actions that you should strongly consider before listing your home:

• both the interior and exterior should be painted as necessary
• home interiors should be decorated in neutral colors
• organize your closets - bulging closets indicate a lack of storage space
• all fixtures should work properly
• mow and water lawns
• weed the garden beds
• plant extra flowers and shrubs
• prune the trees and shrubs
• rake up leaves and other debris
• cover bare ground with bark or gravel
• pressure wash the roof and repair as needed
• clean the gutters
• mend broken fences and railings
• clean up porches and decks
• remove children’s toys from walkways and driveways
• straighten up the garage and workshop
• fix broken door and window screens
• remove any old vehicles
• clean and remove clutter from rooms
• replace any old or outdated carpeting and wallpaper
• repair any cracks in the walls
• fix leaky faucets
• put new hardware on drawers and cabinets
• oil squeaky doors
• if there is a smell, the house won’t sell - get rid of odors
• create a spacious feeling
• make sure entrances to all rooms have an open flow
• make the most of views - all your windows should sparkle
• create counter space - remove all clutter
• remove refrigerator magnets - helps to decrease clutter
• avoid eccentric décor - you might like your Elvis poster, others might not

The bottom line is simple. You want the potential buyer to stand back from the home after their tour, and evaluate the feeling they get. Is the home warm and inviting? Does it feel like home? If so, your work in preparing the home for sale has paid off!