There is a reason new home builders spend a fortune on decorating model homes; they sell better! Because of this a new industry has evolved, "home staging" for resale homes.
Professional home stagers (aka decorators) provide a variety of services from helping home owners use their own personal possessions in a more decorative way, to completely furnishing a vacant home to appear as if someone lives there.
Statistics prove that an occupied home sells for more. This means that a staged home will sell for more because it helps buyers visualize what the property can look like.
How Is It Done?
If you have ever looked at a model home, you will have noticed that it looks immaculate. The spaces are open and airy; nothing is out of place, counters and tables have very few items on them; in fact, no personal items are seen anywhere!
In order to achieve this 'staged' look, you will need to remove all personal items. Store them away but not in your closets. Closets must be cleaned out and left with only a few items remaining. If you have to rent a storage space for this period, it is well worth the expense because it will make your house sell faster.
Clean everything and make things shine! Make sure there are no streaks on mirrors or windows. Your prospective buyers will want to look out the windows to see the great view you have, so wash them inside and out!
The same goes for the refrigerator, stove and other appliances. Clean them out making them look as new as possible. Organize the fridge so that it looks neat and tidy getting rid of miscellaneous junk. If you are not living in the house leave it empty and make sure there is some baking soda inside to get rid of smells. Replace any burner trays that are damaged so they are all sparkly and new.
Clean all spots off the carpet and vacuum regularly in case a buyer happens to leave a trail.
Keep all furniture and other objects dusted. It is ok to look lived in but it should look like it is getting ready to go on the cover of a magazine!
Empty and clean all trash cans. That includes junk in the garage. Store or get rid of anything placed there or in the back yard.
Get rid of any plants that are no longer living. Replace them with new ones if you want but make sure they are well placed so that the overall look is pleasing.
Paint any areas that are worn or damaged. Keep the colors neutral or white to attract buyers.
Although this is not all that needs done, this is just the basics. Talk to me if you are interested in finding out more about staging, I can provide some useful resources and give you a professional opinion.
