More and more Americans are staging their homes today and achieving greater results for the effort. The idea is to adjust or the way your home looks to outsiders, to stage your home. Changing it from what is comfortable in your day to day life, to what is most appealing to potential buyers as Realtors show the property.
Recently I showed a home that was priced perfectly and staged (that house received six offers in three days). The owners had just replaced the counter-tops to be slab granite. How could I tell it was staged? The beloved and out of date original counter top was in the alley waiting to be removed by the trash folks. The stylish granite was literally a final staging touch. Generally, staging is getting a home ready for sale, not major renovations.
But if a counter-top or appliance is hopelessly out of date, a quick replacement can have a major impact.
As you stage your home for sale, you might want to consider a professional. Whether you hire it out or do it yourself here are six steps to stage your home successfully:
1. Update, repair, repaint. Have a handyman help with projects. Touch up the items that you just live with. First impressions are key, and a tidy space is important.
2. Clean and then clean again. Have the windows professionally cleaned – to all out. First impressions matter.
3. De-clutter. As a rule of thumb, remove one third of the belongings in each drawer, cabinet and closet.
4. De-personalize. Buyers want to imagine living in your space. Take down the family photos, remove the quirky collection, get kitchen appliances off the countertops.
5. Open up the space inside your house. Help buyers see what you first saw: lots of space for their belongings and lifestyle.
6. Replace the light bulbs. I suggest 100 watt traditional bulbs. CFL’s? Great for the environment, not so hot for selling a house. I suggest storing your CFL’s to take to your new home and use bright 100 watt bulbs to add plenty of light as you sell.
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Those are my tips for staging your home! View Boulder homes for sale here. Want more ideas to stage your home? Check out this link to the HGTV site.
Updated 11/22/2013