7 ½ Successful Steps to Staging
Would you like to increase the value of your home by thousands of dollars?
Follow these very useful steps.
1. Create Curb Appeal
The first view of your home is the exterior. Keep it green, clean and appealing. In summer your grass should be green and short. Remove weeds and trim plants. Clean outdoor light fixtures, rails, porch, garage and front door. To freshen up your driveway, put another coat of black asphalt. An urn filled with flowers, will guide the eye to the entrance. In winter, keep the snow shoveled. Hang up a simple wreath on the door. Maintaining the exterior will attract potential buyer to see the inside.
2. Remove the Clutter
Visual noise is a result of clutter. It is important to guide the eye around a space. Clean out closets. Donate or give away anything that you haven’t used or worn in over a year. Keeping items out of guilt is only contributing to your clutter. Small souvenirs and mementos should also be given away or donated.
Remove all art and photos from the front of your fridge. Keep your children’s art work in a file or decorative box. Combine all small photos and put them in a leather photo album. Display the album on a shelf. Only every other shelf should contain neatly organized books. For visual interest the remaining shelves should contain decorative items or baskets.
3. Depersonalize your home
It may sound insensitive and cold. Remember your objective is to sell high. A buyer must envision themselves in the home. Remove all family photos, toys and trophies. Remove furnishing or accessories that look old or unappealing. At this point, an interior specialist is very helpful.
4. Fix-it up
It’s time to do all the jobs you’ve delayed. Hire someone to do the caulking in bathrooms and kitchens. Caulking can appear messy…consider hiring a professional. Tighten hinges and handles on cupboards and doors. Spray some WD40 on squeaky doors. Replace burnt-out light bulbs. Paint the interior front door a deep colour like espresso. You’ll be surprised by the stunning result. Consider painting the interior. Paint can make the largest impact on the smallest budget. Ensure that all colours flow nicely through-out the house.
5. Clean, Clean, Clean
Naturally you would clean the usual places, floors, bathrooms, kitchen sink and counter. Clean baseboards, and walls to remove hand prints. A white eraser is amazing for removing scratches or marks on walls. Wipe down cupboards in bathrooms and kitchens. All appliances should sparkle. Don’t forget to look for cob webs. Windows, and light fixtures will shine more if vacuumed and wiped. Window coverings should also be vacuumed. Have sofas chairs and carpeting steam cleaned. If necessary consider getting sofa covers.
6. Rearrange Furnishings and Accessories
Furniture and accessories need to create interesting focal points. Remove pieces from a crowed room. Take furniture from one room to fill a bare room. If two art pieces belong together, put one under the other or side by side. Hang large mirrors in rooms or hallways that look narrow. Mirrors will make a space appear larger. Sofa and chairs should be away from the walls. Arrange them to create a quant conversation area.
7. Make It Bright
Leave window coverings open to let in sunlight. In darker rooms, leave the lights on. To avoid pet and cooking odors, open windows before a buyer visits. Lighting vanilla scented candles is a great finishing touch.
7 ½. Now sit back and relax, while the offers roll in.