When real estate agents talk about staging your home they are referring to a method of decorating that is designed to show the property in its best light, showcasing desirable assets and downplaying the negative ones. Potential home buyers need to envision themselves living in your home. Adding too many personal touches can take this away.
Learn how you can appeal to the greatest pool of prospective buyers with these affordable home-staging tips:
Less Is More
Professional Stagers will often whisk away as much as half the owner’s belongings to make the house look bigger. You don’t have to be that drastic, but take a hard look at what you have and ask yourself what you can live without. If you cannot part with specific pieces or items you should consider renting a temporary storage unit to keep these things until you’re ready to move into your new home.
Change It Up
Don’t be scared to move some furniture around. Just because you bought something specifically for one room does not mean it won’t look great in another.
Need help with an internal move or reconfiguration click here
Add Valuable Upgrades
Simply offering the lowest price on the block is not enough to make a lasting impression. When potential buyers are viewing several homes in your neighbourhood, you’ll want yours to be the one that stands out for the right reasons. A good real estate agent will give you tips to improve both internal and external spaces, increasing the value of your home prior to selling.
Here’s a list of affordable upgrades:
- A fresh coat of paint goes a long way
- Install power outlets with USB Ports for more tech-savvy home buyers
- Replace switch and outlet plates
- Buy new Toilet Seats and Covers
- Install new lighting fixtures throughout the home
- Change door knobs, levers and cabinet hardware
- Outfit closets for extra storage
- Remove and or replace faded draperies and blinds
- Turn a guest or storage room into a desirable home office, book room or gym
Improve the Lighting
Most homes are improperly lighted. To remedy, increase the wattage. Aim for a total of 100 watts for every 50 square feet. Make sure you have three types of lighting: ambient (general or overhead), task (pendant, under-cabinet or reading) and accent (table and wall).
Hire a Decorator
There’s a fine line between “neutral” and “boring” when it comes to decorating. Stagers suggest neutralizing because they have a goal of appealing to the greatest number of potential home buyers.We recommend hiring a professional stager/decorator so your home appeals to your target market.
Top 8 Light NEUTRAL Paint Colours for Home Staging, Selling
3 is Company
When it comes to eye-pleasing accessorizing, odd numbers are preferable. Rather than lining up a trio of accessories in a row, imagine a triangle and place one object at each point. For maximum effect, group accessories by colour, shape, texture or another unifying element.
If you are planning on putting your home on the market, any realtor will tell you that buyers prefer homes that look and smell clean. Ensuring your house is spotless greatly adds to your home’s appeal!
Here are some top priority cleaning tasks to help stage your home for sale:
- A thorough cleaning of your bathrooms and kitchen including cabinet doors
- Washing, vacuuming of all floors and carpets
- The dusting of baseboards, pictures, lamp shades, window sills, furniture and light fixtures
- Clean walls, door frames, baseboards
Increase Curb Appeal
Curb appeal is that undefinable something that draws you to a home. Our friends at Scoop, Cut N’ Shovel have provided this Curb Appeal Checklist to ensure your yard is ready for prospective buyers.
- Clean up debris and garbage
- Pick up Pet Waste before each showing
- Remove dead or dying plants and replace them with new ones
- If trees or shrubs are overgrown, trim them back
- Keep Lawn freshly cut and trimmed
- Get rid of weeds around the parameter of the home
- Clean up sheds by washing and painting them
- Test the sprinkler system to ensure it is in good working condition
- Fertilize grass and plants to make them appear full, lush and healthy
- Power wash and re-stain decks and outdoor wooden structures
- Repair, paint or stain fencing and gates
- Create focal points in the yard by adding a fire pit, seating area, a free-standing swing or a pond
- Install decorative curbing around the perimeter of the yard to give it a finished look and feel
- Raise flower beds and gardens to make a backyard seem colourful and three-dimensional
- Add larger house numbers that make your home easy for homebuyers to find
- Install lighting features so the yard can be viewed during the evening hours
Ask Alex how his team can help here
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