9 Home Staging Tips for Faster Sale

1. First Impressions count. Roll out the red carpet for potential homebuyers by sprucing up your entryways, especially the one on a lockbox. Welcome mats, planters filled with seasonal flowers, and clutter-free foyers and hallways set the stage.
2. Sell the space, not your stuff. Remember that the goal of a successful showing is to make a prospect feel at home-like it’s theirs, not yours. Put away you extensive personal collections. Less is more: open up your space so prospects can actually see what they’re buying.
3. Paint and elbow grease work wonders. Fresh paint and a thorough cleaning will give you the greatest “bang for your buck.” Remember that neutral walls are your best bet when staging a home for sale. An investment of $100 in paint and some interior touch up could yield you thousands on your sell price because most customers cannot “visualize” what it could look like.
4. Go with the flow. Arrange furniture for easy traffic flow. Consider placing a major piece of furniture at an angle, such as a couch or desk. Angles add interest and can create a more open feeling.
5. See the light. Move lamps to dark corners and arrange window treatments so that natural light floods your rooms. Brighter is better, and your rooms will look larger.
6. Go green. Live plants can add decorative flair, without spending a bundle. Plants and cut flowers have a way of warming up a room.
7. Don’t forget the outdoors, especially this time of year. If you have a porch, deck or patio, clean the furniture and replace the worn cushions. Breath new life into your deck with a fresh finish. Plant winter rye in the fall to insure a rich, green yard through the winter. Keep the yard mowed and edged while listing is active. Trim shrubs and hedges back away from the home. Trim lower limbs on trees to open the view of the home from the road.
8. Make the kitchen sparkle. De-clutter the countertops by removing toasters, food processors and other non-decorative items. If you have a breakfast table or counter, put out a couple of table settings complete with place mats, napkins and dinnerware. The smell of baked goods prior to a showing really helps set the homey mood with another one of our senses……….mmmmmmmmmmmm good!
9. Warm up an empty room. If your home is vacant, consider renting furniture for key rooms, but don’t go overboard. There are companies locally that provide staging of interiors for homes or condos for sale and really make them look outstanding!