Are you selling a home? Well, whether it is an investment flip, or the family homestead, new or gently “lived in”, chances are it will sell quicker and a lot closer to your asking price if the home is properly “staged”.
There are many obvious examples of the best ways to prepare your home so that potential buyers have an easier time imagining themselves in the space, like removing family pictures, pet evidence and personal touches. But there are many options for really turning your house into a showcase, ranging from simple DIY decorating to full-on professional interior decorating.
First and foremost: de-clutter. Home and Garden TV recommends removing one old item for every new one you bring into a home, whether your house is on the market or not. The easiest way to clutter a home is with excess furniture. Keep it to the absolute bare minimum needed for daily living to open up your space.
Become a groupie. Group your furniture conversationally. Moving furniture far apart may make it seem like a space is larger, but grouped furniture is more appealing.
Make something out of nothing. Is your basement unfinished? Some inexpensive rubber padding and a carpet remnant coupled with some oversized pillows, scented candles and a Pilates ball makes for a relaxing Yoga studio.
Light it up. Make sure you have at least 100 watts of light per 50 square feet of living space and mix it up between ambient (general or overhead), task (pendant, under-cabinet or reading) and accent (table and wall).
Remain neutral. Repaint living areas in warm neutral colors. We’re not talking off-white or beige here … try some of the modern neutrals like tans and honey to soft blues and greens. Just because you went to school at the old purple and gold, does not mean that is what will make your future home owner warm and fuzzy.
Breaking up is hard to do. Most homes feature art hung in stereotypical center lines around the room. Break that up for a much more dramatic and definitely less boring effect. If your artwork is worth looking at, make it stand out by hanging it in out of the ordinary ways.
Accessorize to maximize. When placing accent pieces in a room or on a table, odd numbers work best. Vary the sizes (but remember scale is important) and place three objects on each point of a triangle for an appealing look.
Bring the outside in. Staged homes are always graced with fresh flowers, but you can get a similar effect simply by raiding your yard. Magnolia clippings or fern fronds are great in the spring, summer blooms add splashes of bright color, fall foliage warms up your decor on chilly autumn days and holly or mistletoe branches heavy with berries look great in winter. Just don’t over do it, you don’t want it to look like a flower shop.
Cozy it up. Make bedrooms look serene with new plush bedding, even if you put an air mattress on a bed frame, spend a little on better bedding and pillows. Also, all but empty your closets to show off storage space. You may be proud of your blue jean and cowboy boot collection, but newcomers will want space.
Put on a fresh face. New kitchen cabinets will make a huge difference, but if that is not an option, try new doors and hardware. Make sure it all matches the appliances for the cleanest most modern look.
Floor them. Refinish hardwood floors. The cost to redo them will be far less than a prospective buyer will deduct from the asking price if they think they need to resurface and finish the floors.
Finally: Wow them with your bathrooms. Have a professional repaint tile surfaces and add expensive items like cedar stools and spa items. Roll towels and have great candles burning for that relaxing spa feeling.
