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Thursday, February 9, 2017
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Stages to Staging
As we all know, first impressions are key! Some folks will drive right past your house even if the inside is wonderful and not even get it a second chance if your front yard or curb appeal is lacking. This does not mean you need to spend a bundle of money to have your yard re-landscaped. Simple things like mowing the grass and removing all the weeds are great first steps. I always am sure to have a seasonally appropriate wreath hanging on my front door (this book has the BEST wreath ideas – I want to make them ALL
), as well as a few pots of flowers for the color and smell they provide.
), as well as a few pots of flowers for the color and smell they provide.
2. Let the Light in
The first thing you want a home buyer to notice when they walk into your home is how light and airy it feels. Natural sunshine instantly enhances a person’s mood, so showing off the natural sunlight in your home is important. Open all the curtains and blinds to get your home’s full sunshine potential.
The first thing you want a home buyer to notice when they walk into your home is how light and airy it feels. Natural sunshine instantly enhances a person’s mood, so showing off the natural sunlight in your home is important. Open all the curtains and blinds to get your home’s full sunshine potential.
It’s also great to turn on all the lights in each room of your home. Normally, I have almost all the lights off during the day, but when someone is walking around seeing your home for the first time, it’s very helpful for them to see all the lighting on. Do you have under-mounted lights in your kitchen? Turn them on! Do you have above spotlights over your fireplace? Turn them on!
3. Declutter + Minimize
Now, this is a hard one for most of us (ME, included!). Potential buyers want to see the HOUSE not all the STUFF you have. The goal is for them to imagine THEIR stuff in your closets or cabinets, so as difficult as it may seem do your very best to remove, remove, remove. I have a big box that I keep in the back of my car and it’s full of random items that I just don’t have a spot for when someone is over looking at the house.
Now, this is a hard one for most of us (ME, included!). Potential buyers want to see the HOUSE not all the STUFF you have. The goal is for them to imagine THEIR stuff in your closets or cabinets, so as difficult as it may seem do your very best to remove, remove, remove. I have a big box that I keep in the back of my car and it’s full of random items that I just don’t have a spot for when someone is over looking at the house.
This is a great time to clean out rooms and donate unused items to your local Goodwill or Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Your rooms will look bigger and more inviting with less stuff and furniture in them… plus, it’s less to pack and move to your next home!
4. Make your House smell Clean
There is nothing more off putting than odd aromas wafting through the house for a potential buyer. However having too many fragrances also can be offensive. Instead of the age old ‘baking cookies’ or burning candles, I always opt for a “clean” simple smell. Flowers or citrus tells the home buyer that you keep a tidy fresh, clean home. I have a Febreze
odor remover that has a lovely citrus smell. I always spray it on the couch and a few pillows in each room before we leave when a buyer is heading over to see the house. A bouquet of fresh flowers set on the kitchen counter top is always a great idea, too.
There is nothing more off putting than odd aromas wafting through the house for a potential buyer. However having too many fragrances also can be offensive. Instead of the age old ‘baking cookies’ or burning candles, I always opt for a “clean” simple smell. Flowers or citrus tells the home buyer that you keep a tidy fresh, clean home. I have a Febreze
odor remover that has a lovely citrus smell. I always spray it on the couch and a few pillows in each room before we leave when a buyer is heading over to see the house. A bouquet of fresh flowers set on the kitchen counter top is always a great idea, too.
5. Tell the buyers what you want them to see
Do you have an odd room that doesn’t really have a function? Do you have an unused sun room? By staging properly, you can help tell the buyer what they can use that space for! Even if it’s just bringing in a chair, a cozy blanket hanging over the edge and a few books… you are letting them know, this odd little space could be a reading nook.
Our sun room has a metal roof and isn’t quite an indoor space but isn’t completely an outdoor space either. There is a hot tub cemented into the ground that would cost a fortune to remove and we haven’t used it in years. When we went to buy this house, the sun room was a major negative in my mind. What in the WORLD would we use that room for? I’ve since turned it into a fun kid spot that we actually use a LOT. This may not be applicable to every buyer out there, but after bringing in a bench, the kid’s play structure and some sidewalk chalk, it now tells a story and I think serves a purpose.
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