How To Stage Your Home
To Sell With The Best Offers
2022 is a Seller’s Market. Properties are selling fast, and typically over the asking price. Bidding wars are helping to drive up the value of our homes, but it’s not just demand that’s making these bids come in. We see a lot more bids on homes that are staged well. Why is that? Well, it shows the buyers the character of the house. If buyers see opportunity, charm, and comfort they’re far more likely to move fast, bid high, and close with fewer conditions. Here are some Wise Tips for staging your home to sell with the best offers!
The Basics
- Clean
Everyone knows a clean home is the most welcoming. Clean and put away the dishes, make sure the bedrooms and bathrooms are spotless, and sweep every corner and under the furniture.
- Dust
Dusting is one of the easiest things to forget. It’s especially important in Colorado, with our dry weather. Dusting whenever you have showings is going to be that little extra touch.
- Organize
If you have a lot of items around the house, like books, movies, kid’s toys, etc., take some time to organize these so they look presented and tended to rather than items stored on shelves or in corners.
The Best Practices
- Plants
Sprucing up the main living spaces with a few plants is a great idea when staging. This brings the sense of life into the home. One or two large plants in the larger rooms and a few smaller plants or fresh flowers on table tops shows prospective buyers that plants thrive in the house. If you’re not a plant person, placing decorative plants is fine. You may even want to ask friends or neighbors to borrow theirs, if possible! - Décor
Keeping decorations both on the walls and on a few surfaces is good. You don’t want to have too much around, but a few tastefully selected pieces of art or decor is very welcome. Buyers enjoy seeing a bit of character in the house before they add their personal touches. Blank, white walls can be overwhelming and stark to those without a designer’s eye. - Lighting
One of the last things you want to do before showings begin is to brighten up the house. Draw open all the curtains and ensure each room is well lit. Sunlight makes a house feel open and warm, welcoming and homely. If you have rooms that don’t get a lot of sun, make sure the lights are all working and turned on when you leave. That way there’s no darkness present in the house for buyers when they come for a showing.
The Professional Touch
- Fragrance
Fragrance is one of those little thought of things, but it can have a huge impact on a home’s feel. The days before showings, make sure you do not cook overly pungent or fragrant meals. Check each room and spray with an air freshener or fabric freshener to keep them smelling fresh and clean. Don’t overdo it. Choose a mild, clean scent over floral or spices. One trick we’ve heard working in many cases is to bake cookies the morning of showings. The lingering smell reminds buyers of home! - Curb Appeal
First impressions are key. It’s essential to make sure your property has curb appeal. This means cutting the lawn, pulling invasive weeds, cleaning windows, dusting window sills, and maybe even putting potted plants outside. If you have time to plant flowers, re-paint the trim, or cut-back overgrown trees, that may help as well. We want to wow prospective buyers as soon as they see the place! - Less Is More
The biggest thing to remember when staging your house is this: Less is more. Yes, you want furniture and decoration and plants, but you don’t want the house to feel full or cluttered. Start packing away things and move them into storage before listing your house so when showings begin there’s less of you in the house. Don’t empty the house completely. Books on bookshelves are good, paintings and pictures on the wall are pleasant, and a few articles of clothing in the closets are fine. Everything else, though, aside from a few key chosen decor items, can be packed away.
Preparing your home to sell can feel like a stressful task. When done in tandem with packing to move it can be a lot easier to manage. There are a few things to consider long before listing your home though: major renovations or fixes to the house that may prevent you selling at maximum value, exterior cosmetics to improve curb appeal, and, of course, some house hunting of your own. When you’re ready to start your real estate journey, get in touch with The Wise Team. We’ll help set you up for success, whether it’s buying, selling, or both!
