Staging and preparing your home is simple, but does take some work. Making your home look as clean and spacious as possible will be your best bet in attracting the right buyer.
Getting ready to sell your home is often an emotional challenge, but it is also a great physical challenge. There are usually plenty of things to be done to make the house most sale-worthy. After you have taken care of the repairs and the normal cleaning,, consider making use of the following tips.
Curb Appeal
First impressions are crucial. The outside of the house is the first impression buyers get of your home. If it is not particularly appealing, then most buyers will not even schedule a viewing. So you need to have a presentable outside first. Rake the leaves, mow the lawn, and make the landscaping attractive. Make sure the exterior paint is clean and not peeling. Clean out the rain spouts and drains. Taking these steps will ensure more traffic to your home during open houses and personal showings.
De-Clutter
Get rid of any extra stuff lying around. Just start packing it away. The most important point is to make the spaces in your home look bigger. They will look much bigger if there is less clutter and little things covering every surface. Clear away anything that you do not use regularly, concentrating especially on shelves and countertops. Basically, pack away anything that can be packed away. It will give your home a cleaner look and it will give you a head start on all the packing you will have to do anyway.
Get rid of personal touches
Real estate buyers need to visualize the home as being theirs and that will be tough to do if it is filled with pictures of you, your family, and your pets. You should also remove any knick knacks or collection displays. Try to pack away anything that would clue someone in as to who you are and what your talents and hobbies are. Also one of the best ways to spruce up a home for selling is to give a fresh coat of neutral paint to all the inside walls. Neutral colors will appeal to the largest segment of buyers, where as dramatic or specialized color schemes will turn off lots of house hunters.
Move out as much furniture as possible
This goes back to the idea of making all the spaces look bigger. Try to clear furniture out, especially in high traffic areas and already-small rooms or spaces. Put it in storage if necessary, but be assured, the fewer things in each room, the better! It will probably look too bare to you, but real estate buyers have an easier time filling in the space visually with their own furniture that way.
Highlight the special features
If your home has some great architectural or design features, highlight them by clearing away all objects around or in front of them. These features might be things like beautiful fireplaces, dramatic stairways, French doors, built-in shelves, or pretty views from the windows.
When it is time to sell your house, take some time to make the changes necessary to attract the most buyers possible. This will result in a faster sell time on the real estate market and less stressful for you.
