If you are in the process of selling your property, you want it to look appealing to potential buyers, but not so “lived-in” that they are unable to imagine it as their own home. The best way to go about this is by staging your home so that it is ready for sale.
This process is designed to highlight the most attractive qualities of your home while essentially creating a kind of “blank canvas” for potential buyers. Staging your home in this way raises your chances of making a quick and profitable sale without having to invest too much in the process.
Clear Out the Clutter
Space sells, which means it’s time to declutter. Depending on the amount of items currently in your space, this may take some time, so be sure to plan this and all other tasks involved in house staging well in advance of any viewings.
There are two ways to go about this: by category (clothes, books, ornaments), or by room. For each batch of items you will need three large trash bags or storage containers, labelled “keep”, “recycle” and “sell”. Sort items into each container accordingly and deal with the contents accordingly.
Clean and Repair
Before any styling, your home needs to look immaculate. Here is a checklist of how to deep clean your home, top-to-bottom:
- Laundry: Clean the washer and dryer and make sure no laundry (clean or otherwise) is on display.
- Ceilings and walls: Wipe these down with a cloth and warm, soapy water, all the way down to the baseboards.
- Cabinets and drawers: Empty these and clean on top as well as inside.
- Countertops and tables: clean all side surfaces so that they shine.
- Appliances: clean microwaves, refrigerators and other appliances inside and out. Unplug electricals before cleaning and avoid liquids, instead using a soft cloth.
- Bathrooms: Thoroughly clean the toilets, showers and tubs including faucets. Check the exhaust fan to see that it’s functional and put out clean, fresh and fluffy towels.
- Floors: Depending on what material your floors are, clean using the appropriate solution. For carpets and rugs, you can hire a rug cleaner or (if you have one) use your own.
Once you have cleaned and decluttered your home, it should be easier to see any repairs that need to be made. Deal with any nicks, holes, scratches or other imperfections that might be a visual distraction for potential buyers.
Styling Your Home
The aim of staging a property is to de-personalize it by removing items such as collectables and photographs, but it’s also important to make it look attractive. When it comes to decor, neutral colours are best – so if you have any bold-coloured rooms, paint over these in shades of white, cream or ecru.
For accessories, items such as throw pillows and bedding are acceptable, but take care to keep everything understated. For a few touches of colour, a couple of vases of flowers can help to add some liveliness to the space. Finally, don’t forget exterior spaces such as pathways, gardens and exterior paintwork.
Staging a home involves a lot of time and hard work. For some or all of this process, hiring a home staging company for either a full or partial staging can help to reduce your workload while ensuring best results.
