Let's face it, few of us live in perfect homes where everything has a place, and everything stays IN that
place. But, if you are thinking of selling your home, or perhaps just having guests over for a special event, you need to know a few tips on how to stage your home successfully. Staging your home is actually a lot easier than you think!
1. Make your entrance WELCOMING! Never, ever forget the 7 second rule! Home buyers (and your guests) will decide within 7 seconds of walking up to your home if they are impressed, or disappointed in your home. A messy and unkept exterior conjures up visions of an inside in disarray. Make sure your front door sparkles with a fresh coat of paint or has been cleaned and waxed. Make sure the hardware is up-to-date and in good condition. Check your shutters, mailbox and house numbers to make sure they are affixed tightly and in excellent condition. Weed and mulch your flower beds, edge your yard, and make sure your turf is lush and green! Add some nice urns or planters to your front porch with vibrant greenery. Last but not least, make sure you have a new WELCOME MAT instead of an old worn out go-away mat!
2. Control the clutter. Less is best when going over your home decor. If you have things sitting around that have not been used in the last year, then give them away! Box up anything that hasn't been used regularly in the last three months. Use baskets or attractive containers to hide magazines, toys, and knick-knacks! Check your mantle and make sure it isn't clutters. A bare mantle shows better than a mantle covered with distracting decor! No more than 3 to 5 items should remain on your mantle...preferably less!
3. Minimize your furniture. This one is really hard for some people to do! You really need to take a step back and look at your space. Think less is more when going over your furniture arrangements. Placing some pieces in storage will help your room feel larger and open up the space. Furniture blocking walkways and hallways is the biggest mistake I see with homeowners. Furniture left in foyers can make a potential buyer feel that the space is tight or closed in as soon as they walk in the front door. Remove any unnecessary pieces!
4. Rearrange your furniture! So many homeowners line their walls with furniture. This can be a huge mistake and make it hard for buyers to visual how the room could be used. Make sure to pull large pieces of furniture out away from the walls. Group your pieces together to make warm conversational sitting areas. Move your area rugs to an angle and let your furniture follow that pattern. Break away from an old square shape and keep the perimeters clear.
5. Take a fresh approach! So many homeowners leave their furniture and decor arranged in the exact same arrangement, in the exact same position, day after day, after day. Remove everything from the room and look at the space as a clean slate. Slowly begin to rebuild this space, but make sure that everything that goes back in the room is placed in a different position. You will end up with a totally different room that has a fresh feeling! Remember not to clutter and consider leaving some pieces out of the decor for a change.
6. Use all your space! Have a little niche at the top of your stairs or an empty corner that holds a floor lamp? Look at these spaces as a place to hold a fantasy area. Closets can become efficient hidden offices, niches can become the perfect reading loft, corners can become gaming areas or homework stations. Make sure that you make wise use of all of your square footage! You want your home to appear open with an efficient use of space.
7. Walk toward the light! Never underestimate the power of light in selling a home. Open all your blinds and pull back your drapes to let the light shine in! A room filled with natural sunlight will seem twice as large as a dark drab room. Make sure you make good use of all lighting including overhead and lamp lighting. Transform your space instantly by simply adding light from every possible source.
8. Neutralize your colors. Buyers may not like candy apple green or vibrant red on their walls. Make sure your home has a fresh coat of paint in a warm neutral color. Neutral doesn't mean off-white! A warm beige or soft gold will allow any buyer to visualize the space with their own decor. However, it will also provide a warm welcoming color scheme to the room. You can always add punch of color through accessories, or possibly painting a small accent area.
9. Accesorize for maximum potential. While keeping the minimalist theme in mind, consider adding a few large accessory pieces to really add some drama to the area. A coffee table with one large arrangement always adds impact. If you group items, form a triangle pattern and keep groupings to no more than three items.
10. Bring the outdoors in! Whatever the season, bring a little bit of the outdoor elements inside your home. In the fall, some twigs and vibrant leaves will add charm to a dining room, in the spring a glorious bouquet of fresh flowers on the kitchen table really adds warms. Don't worry about being fancy, just add a few natural elements to your home to really make potential home buyers connect with your home.
Remember, buyers buy on emotion. Make sure your home is sparkly clean and staged to tug at those heartstrings! If you are considering selling your home in Murfreesboro, Brentwood, Franklin, or the middle Tennessee Nashville area, please contact me for an in depth analysis of your home. I'll be happy to help you get your home staged and ready to sell quickly! For a current market analysis of your home, feel free to email me at info@soldontn.com or call my cell at 615-566-3789.
Recent Comments