Preparing a house for sale can be a seemingly daunting task not only for first-time sellers but even seasoned investors. If you are planning to put your house on the market, there is need to come up with an effective staging strategy to ensure you can sell your home as quickly as possible and at the best price. Staging a home involves re-decorating to showcase the home’s best asset and attract potential buyers to make an offer. Considering that it’s a tough market for selling a house, it has become necessary for sellers to stage their homes to maximize their chances of a sale at good prices.
Here are some key staging strategies that one should consider.
Boost Curb Appeal
The environment that surrounds the property speaks volumes about the home. The outside of your home is the first thing buyers notice, so you must make it look appealing from the moment they pull into the driveway. Put a fresh coat of paint on the front door. The locks and doorbell should function. Spruce up the yard by trimming bushes, do lawn maintenance, clean the sidewalks and driveway. Brighten your outdoor living space (patios or decks) with stylish furniture, accent pillows, and a few fresh flowers near the front door.
Kitchens
Most buyers look for kitchens that are spacious. Clean out all the clutter and remove all the appliances from the counters. Clean up the drawers, cabinets, and pantry. Be sure to clean between appliances and walls, above cabinets, and under sinks. Create an impressive pantry by organizing items by use, color, and size. Place a colorful bowl of fruit or a vase of flowers on the counter. Remove all items from around the sink, including cleaning products and sponges.
Bedrooms
For your bedrooms, make sure that you replace your old linen with fresh linens. Keep things neutral. If your room is too full of furniture, consider taking out a few pieces to maximize the space. Remove all 
clutter from closet floors and furniture surfaces, organize your clothing, and ensure there is plenty of walking space for people entering the room.
Bathrooms
A bathroom is one of the most sensitive areas in a house. Nothing is as unattractive as a poorly maintained and moldy shower space. Clean all faucets, mirrors, and lights. Make sure that you replace shower curtains and remove personal care products from the shelves. Potential buyers do not want to see your old razors and used shower gels. Fix any issues that may distract buyers such as leaky faucets, broken tiles, burnt-out lighting fixtures, and damaged toilet seats.
Living Rooms
Prospective buyers need to envision themselves in your living room. Remove most items from your shelving and surface areas, including family photos, paintings, memorabilia, and other personal keepsakes. Ensure large pieces of furniture don’t block sight lines to great views like fireplaces, huge windows, feature walls, and other upgrades. It’s always good to go neutral with your living room theme, bringing in pops of color with bright accents like pillows, throw blankets, rugs, and artwork. Also, ensure that there is enough light to make space feel large, open, functional, and inviting.
How to Keep Things Show Ready
Staging a home for sale while living in it can be exhausting. However, there a few things you can do to keep your home ready for showings all the time.
- Lock rooms you can do without.
- Pack away as much as possible, especially nonfunctional things that don’t contribute to the overall look of the rooms.
- Make the beds first thing in the morning.
- Spot clean the house regularly.
- Stay on top of the laundry.
- Have a checklist of things to do before leaving the house.
Your real estate agent is the best source of information about the local community and real estate topics. Give the Debra White Real Estate Team a call today at 559-994-9282 or 559-994-9281 to learn more about local areas, discuss selling a house, or tour available homes for sale.
