7 Tips for Staging Your Home
By: G. M. Filisko
Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.
Make your
home warm and inviting to boost your home's value and speed up the sale process.
The first
step to getting buyers to make an offer on your home is to impress them with
its appearance so they begin to envision themselves living there. Here are
seven tips for making your home look bigger, brighter, and more desirable.
1.
Start with a Clean Slate
Before you can worry about where to place
furniture and which wall hanging should go where, each room in your home must
be spotless. Do a thorough cleaning right down to the nit picky details like wiping down light switch covers. Deep
clean and deodorize carpets and window coverings.
2.
Stow Away Your Clutter
It's harder for buyers to picture themselves
in your home when they're looking at your family photos, collectibles, and
knickknacks. Pack up all your personal decorations.
However, don't make spaces
like mantles and coffee and end tables barren. Leave three items of varying
heights on each surface, suggests Barb Schwarz of Staged Homes in Concord, Pa.
For example, place a lamp, a small plant, and a book on an end table.
3.
Scale Back on Your Furniture
When a room is packed with furniture, it looks
smaller, which will make buyers think your home is less valuable than it is.
Make sure buyers appreciate the size of each room by removing one or two pieces
of furniture. If you have an eat-in dining area, using a small table and chair
set makes the area seem bigger.
4.
Rethink Your Furniture Placement
Highlight the flow of your rooms by arranging
the furniture to guide buyers from one room to another.
In each room, create a
focal point on the farthest wall from the doorway and arrange the other pieces
of furniture in a triangle around the focal point, advises Schwarz. In the
bedroom, the bed should be the focal point. In the living room, it may be the
fireplace, and your couch and sofa can form the triangle in front of it.
5. Add
Color to Brighten Your Rooms
Brush on a fresh coat of warm, neutral-color paint in each room. Ask your real estate agent for help choosing the right
shade. Then accessorize. Adding a vibrant afghan, throw, or accent pillows for
the couch will jazz up a muted living room, as will a healthy plant or a bright
vase on your mantle.
High-wattage bulbs in your light fixtures will also brighten
up rooms and basements.
6. Set
the Scene
Lay logs in the fireplace, and set your dining
room table with dishes and a centerpiece of fresh fruit or flowers. Create
other vignettes throughout the home -- such as a chess game in progress -- to
help buyers envision living there. Replace heavy curtains with sheer ones that
let in more light.
Make your bathrooms feel luxurious by adding a
new shower curtain, towels, and fancy guest soaps (after you put all your
personal toiletry items are out of sight). Judiciously add subtle potpourri,
scented candles, or boil water with a bit of vanilla mixed in. If you have pets, clean bedding frequently and spray an odor
remover before each showing.
7.
Make the Entrance Grand
Mow your lawn and trim your hedges, and turn
on the sprinklers for 30 minutes before showings to make your lawn sparkle. If
flowers or plants don't surround your home's entrance, add a pot of bright
flowers. Top it all off by buying a new doormat and adding a seasonal wreath to
your front door.
To get good advice and assistance is preparing your home for today's real estate market, contact The Militello Team today!
Joseph Militello (978) 815-3877
Kathleen Militello (978) 500-1480
Vice President/Realtor
