A few quick tips can help convince buyers you're selling their dream home
Home staging is all about helping potential buyers visualize their lives in your home—and it can have some serious benefits. Staged homes sell an average of 73% faster than homes that aren’t staged. Almost half of real estate agents have also found that staging leads to larger offers, according to the National Association of Realtors.
Whether you take the DIY route or hire a professional local home stager, these tips will help when staging your home for sale.
Potential buyers leave no closet unopened. They’re meticulous. After all, homes aren’t cheap, but some rooms are more important to stage than others. According to the National Association of Realtors, most home sellers who stage their spaces at least stage the living room and kitchen. A further 78% opt to stage the main bedroom.
Don’t have the funds or time to stage a side office or finished basement? Don’t fret. Kitchens, bedrooms, and living rooms are typically where people spend most of their time.
It’s also important to never underestimate your curb appeal when staging your home for sale. Think of your home’s front yard as an advertisement. Most upgrades (like mowing your lawn or pressure washing your siding) cost little more than some effort. A well-placed shrub or a front porch rocking chair can transform an outdoor space.
You know the old adage that you can’t sell an empty home? The reverse is also partially true. Decluttering can make your space look larger and feel more welcoming. While you don’t have to go full-on KonMari as a home seller, it’s easier for potential buyers to picture themselves in your home if there’s physical space for their stuff.
The same also goes for personal items like family photos and children’s sports trophies. Homebuyers are trying to picture their own memories. Pack away the sentimental knick-knacks. There will be space for them in your new home.
A clean home is a happy home. No one wants to dodge dust bunnies under your dining room table or imagine cooking on a stove filled with months-worth of grime. For this reason, home sellers should give their space a thorough cleaning. You want buyers to know that your home has been well taken care of.
Whether you hire a professional or roll up your rubber gloves, make sure to get every nook and cranny. This includes pesky carpet stains, tough toilet grime, and even that weird sticky stain on the inside of your refrigerator door.
The average cost to hire a house cleaner is $170, but depending on your home’s condition, you may need to get a deep cleaning, which will cost more.
You should also work to eliminate unusual odors when staging a home for sale. A good option is adding essential oils (like lavender for calmness and relaxation) to your air filter. For a quick fix, bake vanilla in your oven at a low heat before showing.
Furniture can transform the feeling of a room. A marble coffee table can make a space feel opulent, whereas a vintage garage sale find may come off as quirky. Whatever the style, the way you arrange your furniture should show potential buyers how to make the most of your space. Is that a kids’ playroom or a home office? Is that a finished basement or a media room?
Move your furniture around to get the perfect mix of welcoming and interesting. For example, if you’ve got a cramped guest room with a corner armchair, consider using the chair to create a seating area somewhere else. If a space looks cluttered, furniture is often the culprit, so you may want to put some pieces in storage.
Updates are great for two reasons. First, most buyers don't want a project (unless they're in the home-flipping business). They don’t want to spend time swapping out kitchen cabinets from 1995, and they don’t want to repair damage. Second, some updates can add value to your home.
For example, most major kitchen remodels cost between $25,000 and $40,000, but have a 57.4% return on investment, according to Remodeling Magazine’s 2021 Cost vs. Value Report. Even if you don’t have thousands to spend on a remodel, a fresh coat of paint can do wonders.
Unfortunately, drastic remodels can stall the home-selling process (even if they may be worth it in the long run). To sell your home quickly, start small with the simplest updates and repairs (think: repairing a broken shower door, patching a hole, or painting outdated kitchen cabinets). After that, move onto the bigger projects when staging your home for sale, if it makes sense with your finances and timeline.
