When you think of selling your home, what seems like the most difficult part for you? Cleaning last minute for house showings? Last minute renovations to prepare the house? Mine was having a home stager come in to help us sell our house for top dollar…no joke.
When selling our home with Faris Team, they provided a home stager to get us ready for house showings and this was easily one of the hardest things for me during the process. Well, at first it was! You see, since I prepare my home weekly for photoshoots with brands and for lifestyle content – I felt that there was no way our house wasn’t already 100% ready to show to potential buyers. And as you guys know from previous posts, we tried to sell our home on our own and it didn’t sell. I was so confident that after living in this space for 2 years, I knew exactly how to showcase our home down to last throw pillow and it’s perfect karate chopped plump display.
Oh how handy a fresh set of eyes can be in your home from a professional stager, someone without emotional ties to the home you are trying to sell too! I felt so vulnerable having someone come into our home, to change what I had done inside but it truly did wonders for staging it. I had to remind myself that preparing your home as a product for sale is much different than preparing it for say, a blog post or brand photo shoot. I can safely say I survived the home staging process with a new found appreciation for what they bring to the table when selling your home. I hope today’s blog post can help you prepare if you are selling your home right now or in the future! You can really maximize your time with your personal stager by reviewing these tips below before she or he arrives to walk through your home with you.
1. DEPERSONALIZE
Depersonalizing a space means pairing down the number of family photos, degrees and personal collections throughout the house, particularly the large ones. Be sure to leave a few small, framed personal photos behind and let the staging professional make the final call as to whether they stay or go.
2. UPDATE DECOR
Modernize or neutralize décor choices by removing old or outdated wallpaper and painting over wall colours that are loud, dated, or aren’t recommended for selling your home. Neutral, modern paint colours are always best for selling – grey and white tones make a great canvas to feature artwork and will help a room to appear larger and brighter.
3. MAKE SPACE
Leave all closets, china cabinets, bookshelves (enclosed and floating), storage cubes, display cabinets, kitchen and bathrooms vanities and medicine cabinets 50% full. If you pare down these areas in advance, you will have more time to spend with your professional stager on big picture adjustments that will showcase your home.
4. DECLUTTER
We weren’t the only ones who didn’t think we had much decluttering left to do. Apparently, this is a common misconception. We become accustomed to our messy drawers, closets, and storage areas. Don’t just glance at a junk drawer – tackle it! Dump it out, sort through it, and organize it. The hard truth is that potential buyers will be opening your closets and drawers and passing judgement.
5. CLEAN
There is just no way to overstate the value of a clean home so start your pre-staging clean now. This will make maintaining your home during the selling process a lot more manageable.
6. FOCUS ON THE LITTLE THINGS
In life, we say don’t sweat the small stuff, but when your home is for sale, it’s the little things that matter. Freshen up grout in tubs, showers and tile floors. Scrub glass shower doors and, if needed, replace damaged or dated sinks, toilets, tubs, hardware and door handles.
7. EXAMINE YOUR FLOORING
If your flooring is on borrowed time and you think it will need to be updated, repaired or replaced in order to sell your home, get quotes for the work. Before you make any decisions, WAIT for your professional stager to lend their advice on how to make the right selections for maximum return.
8. GET A PAINTER OR HANDYMAN
If there’s a long-standing “honey-do” list that’s been collecting dust, don’t wait for your home stager to arrive first – start getting quotes for painting and other work. The sooner you do this, the sooner you’ll be able to determine timelines and budgets for your home repair projects.
9. THINK ABOUT OFF-SITE STORAGE
Find off-site or portable storage options near you. If your home stager suggests you need to move furniture, boxes or other items out of your home before going to market, you’ll at least have an idea of the process and costs involved. It will help you buy time while you decide whether to keep, sell or give away items that you may no longer need or want in the new home you’ll eventually be living in when your current one sells.
10. BOOST YOUR CURB APPEAL
Don’t forget the outside of your home. You’ve got just a few seconds to make a good first impression on potential home buyers so apply rules 1-9 to the outside of your house. Take a walk around the exterior of your home and examine it with a critical eye. Remember, winter pathways and driveways should always be clear and safe, and spring and summer yard maintenance is essential.
Wishing you all the best in selling your home and we hope you enjoyed these 10 simple home staging tips in partnership with Faris Team!
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