Planning to move? If you’re a homeowner, you may need to sell your current house first. For some, this could take a few short months. For others, it could take years. Selling and marketing a home, along with its neighborhood characteristics, can be tricky – especially in a saturated market. Thankfully, there are proven ways to greatly increase the chances of your home selling quickly and at the right price. One such way is by staging your home to appear as inviting and aesthetically pleasing as possible to all potential home buyers.
However, this may mean taking your personal style out of the equation. For those whose houses are filled with collectibles or jam-packed with vintage antiques, it may be time to clean it up. Remember: just because you love porcelain dolls (everywhere!), doesn’t mean others will appreciate your unique taste. When buyers walk into a potential new home, they need to be able to visualize themselves living in the house. Staging a home can transform your once cluttered space into a blank slate for home buyers, increasing the chances that your house will sell.
Thankfully, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on updates and furniture to make your home more marketable. Here are 10 easy ways to successfully stage your home on a budget:
Declutter closets, cabinets and rooms
Step one of staging a home is to declutter and organize every nook and cranny of your house. That means rooms, closets, pantries and cabinets. Chances are good that serious potential buyers will open cabinets and closets to assess a home’s space and storage situation. Prepare for the tour by eliminating all clutter from surfaces around the house. When staging your closets, we recommend leaving 20 to 30 percent of the space open and empty, so that buyers can visualize what it will look like once your belongings are gone. If you have nice floors, show them off by removing unnecessary rugs and mats off the floor. When showing your home, I recommend renting a short-term storage unit or asking to borrow a friend’s or family’s basement to store all of your clutter – at least, until you can move.
Apply a fresh coat of paint
Remember that time your 10 year old daughter insisted on painting her room hot pink? Now would be a good time to undo that. Before selling your home. I recommend painting your rooms a neutral color. Stick with a grey and beige palette (also referred to as “greige” by decorators) to appeal to the general public. Touch up stairwells, baseboards and crown molding.
Don’t “over-stage” your home
Don’t get carried away when staging your home. Going overboard with anything, even flowers or décor, can be a mistake. After all, you don’t want potential buyers to get so distracted with what’s in your home that they forget to look around at the home. To strike the right balance between a staged home and a lived-in home, avoid setting your dining table to perfection. Over-staging and over-styling with a full table setting can make the house look inauthentic and overly formal. Instead, opt for a table centerpiece, such as a flower arrangement in a vase or a bowl of fresh lemons. Add a table runner, a bottle of wine, wine glasses or stacked plates to make the dining room more comfortable and inviting.
Make your rooms appear larger than they really are
The bigger the rooms, the better – especially when it comes to bedrooms and bathrooms. Thankfully, you don’t need to start knocking down walls just yet. First, try decluttering your house. The more items stuffed inside a room, the smaller the space will appear. Also, opt for light, neutral paint colors in rooms; paint colors and palettes that instantly make a room more spacious include: white, light citrus tones, sea shades, and pretty pastels. Other tricks for making a room appear larger, include: positioning mirrors to create more light, and minimizing the use of window treatments and drapery.
Deep clean your bathrooms, carpets and living spaces
The most important step in staging a home is to actually clean it up. You can either do it yourself or hire a cleaning service. Either way, you’ll want to make sure your floors are squeaky clean, your surfaces are dust-free and your bathrooms are spick-and-span. Simple things, like unmade beds, dirty toilets and dusty air conditioning vents, can really turn buyers off. Also, check your carpet and rugs for stains. Depending on their condition, it may be a good idea to have these professionally cleaned before showing your home.
Make your home appear gender neutral
When it comes to painting and décor, try to stage your home to be as gender neutral as possible. This may mean sprucing up your man-cave (i.e. hiding the Nintendo and adding some decorative pillows) or playing down your home’s girly factor (i.e. replacing hot pink colors with neutral tones). Opting for a neutral palette throughout your home will go a long way in impressing potential buyers.
Keep your home smelling fresh and clean
Make a good first impression on buyers by ensuring your house smells fresh and clean. Potential buyers who walk into a house smelling of last night’s roasted brussels sprouts or closet moth balls will probably not be making an offer on your home anytime soon. After all, who would want to inherit a stinky house? If you have pets, make sure to eliminate odors from your home by washing dog beds and refreshing Fluff’s kitty litter. Neutralizing candles, air fresheners and diffusers are all inexpensive ways to improve your home’s scent.
Put away personal photos
When staging, cut down on clutter by putting away personal photos and picture frames scattered throughout your home. Not only are pictures distracting for potential buyers, but they could also make your house look down right messy. Surfaces, such as desks, bookshelves and tables should be free of pictures.
Borrow furniture from friends
Maybe your space lacks a certain something or your couch is badly soiled. Either way, you should make sure your home is staged with clean, neutral and smart-looking furnishings. Renting furniture from a company can be expensive, which is why I recommend borrowing pieces from family and friends. Assuming your home doesn’t take years to sell, your friends can surely part with a few items for a month.
Add fresh flowers to various rooms
Fresh flowers can go a long way in making a home more inviting and authentic. Head to your grocery store, farmers market or personal garden, and pick a few, inexpensive flower arrangements to don throughout your house. I recommend having flowers in the kitchen, bedrooms and possibly, the entryway as well.
Selling a Dream
Throughout this whole process keep in mind that you are showcasing your house, not your personality or sense of style. You’re not going for compliments on your stuff; your goal is to sell a product that looks as new as possible and appeals to as many people as possible.
We know that staging can be hard and not everyone has an eye for what buyers want. That’s why Canada Gem Realty has professional stagers, photographers, and a full marketing team that will help you showcase your home.
To get started with our team, ask for a free market evaluation of your home. A professional realtor will do an assessment based on the location and style of your house, and compare it to the actual selling prices of similar homes in your area. You’ll learn how much your home is worth, how it compares to the others on the market, and what you need to do to get the best possible price when you sell.
Buying or selling a home is the biggest transaction most of us will ever go through! For more tips, information and free evaluation to help you sell your current home or buy a new one contact:
CANADA GEM REALTY Inc., Brokerage Office: 416 888 9494Website: www.CanadaGemRealty.ca