Home Staging
It’s Good Therapy To Clean Your Closets and Re-arrange Your Furniture…
Did you know that these tasks can also mean more money when selling your home?
It’s true. Just like detailing your car before you sell it, home staging methods are the latest tools
in the toolbox of techniques designed to help sellers make their homes more appealing to buyers.
Today’s market conditions means it’s more important than ever to set your house apart from the
crowd. It makes sense that a staged home will generally sell faster and for more money than a
competitor that doesn’t show as well.
The idea is to give your home the feel of a model so buyers can better see the optimum use of
the space and its livability. Professional home stagers are practiced in the art of preparing a
home for resale. They work with the flow of the home, eliminate clutter, edit and arrange
furniture and enhance curb appeal.
Depending on your budget, you may elect to spend thousands of dollars to hire a stager to give your
home a whole new look with new furniture, accessories and art, or you may elect to work with
a Prudential Locations Realtor who has a background in staging
to give you some advice as part of their listing service.
Whether you’re selling a million-dollar oceanfront villa or a 500-square-foot condo, there are
ways you can make your space feel more open and accent the home’s best features.
Here is a list of some basic steps you can take to get your home ready for the marketplace:
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Clean, clean, clean
Scrub like crazy and make your home sparkle. Don’t assume buyers can look beyond clutter and
untidiness. They often can’t. If the kitchen, bathroom or windows are dirty, the perception given is
the sellers are just as unconcerned with maintenance and care of the home. Here is a list from top
to bottom:
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1. Wash windows and screens
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2. Steam clean carpets
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3. Clean stovetops and all countertops
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4. Wash fronts of all cupboards and appliances
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5. Keep the floor swept and scrubbed throughout the
entire listing period
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6. Clean sidewalks and home’s exterior with a pressure
washer
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7. Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures
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8. Eliminate odors (including dog, cat and/or smoke)
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Declutter
Home staging basics includes tricks for making the home feel bigger. A cluttered home
looks smaller and is distracting to many buyers. Try and get rid of half the items in
every room. Children’s toys should be put away.
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Paint the interior and exterior of the home
This may be the most cost effective way to give your home a fresh appearance. Be sure to
keep the colors neutral. Hire someone to pressure wash the exterior if needed.
Little things can make a big difference in maximizing the value of your home. The devil is
in the detailing but using proven techniques to make the house appear cleaner, larger and
more inviting will do a world of wonders and if the statistics are correct, will get it sold!
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De-personalize the home
The generic look is in. Pack up personal photographs and family heirlooms. You want buyers
to imagine their own photos on the walls.
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Fix all the unfinished do-it-yourself jobs
Eliminate “to do” list repairs entirely such as leaky faucets, running toilets, holes in the
walls, torn screens, burned-out light bulbs and closet doors that don’t close properly.
Don’t let a five-minute job turn off a potential buyer.
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Clean up the yard
Remember, first impressions do count. Typically, a homebuyer makes up their mind within 30
seconds of walking into an open house. That means some are forming an opinion when they pull
into the driveway. Make sure the trees and shrubs are trimmed and the lawn is cut.
A well-landscaped yard is an invitation to a well-maintained home. Clean up the yard,
front and back. Make sure any broken or rusted items are removed.