Home Staging Do’s

Friday :: May 28, 2010

Home staging is an effective marketing tool to sell your home fast. Selling your home “as is” no longer works in today’s housing market. Here are some home staging tips that will get you proven results.

1. Do clean like you’ve never cleaned before. Even if it takes hiring a professional, you want your house to be sparkling clean. Get up high and remove cobwebs. Dust and polish everything! That includes baseboards, cupboards, closets, lights; every place that you might neglect on a daily basis but that buyers will notice immediately.
2. Do de-clutter. It can’t be said enough. Clutter in your home gives the impression that your house doesn’t have enough storage, which is a major concern for potential buyers. Purge your things or just pack them away (you are moving anyway!) and then organize the rest. You might need to create storage solutions so things like toys look neat and tidy.
3. Do paint. Most houses need a little touch up before selling. In fact, it’s rare to come across a house that doesn’t need painting. Dings and scuffs on the baseboards are glaringly obvious to others, though most homeowners overlook them. If you have bold or unique colours, paint over with neutrals. Even crazy colours in kids’ rooms need to be toned down. Remind your children that in their new room they can pick another colour!
4. Do get everyone on board. Keeping the house in “show quality condition” is important. You never know when the right buyer will walk through the door. Explain to everyone in your family how necessary it is to pick up after themselves to keep the house looking as spotless as possible.
5. Do the odd jobs around the house that you’ve been putting off. Do you have a leaky faucet or a door off the hinges that you’ve been meaning to get to? Go through the house and make an actual “honey-do” list that you’ve been mentally keeping…and then do it! The buyer doesn’t want to be left with all of your old problems. Once taken care of, the buyer will be left with nothing to critique and only reasons to move in!