February 8, 2017
Staging your home is an important part of the selling process as it can help buyers visualize themselves in the space and it doesn’t have to be as complicated as you may think. Follow these quick and easy tips to get your home staged and de-cluttered so it’s ready for potential buyers to take a look and fall in love.
The Kitchen:
Kitchens are the most important room in the house, and they sell homes. Now you may not have a gourmet, chef’s kitchen with top of the line appliances but you can make it look its best.
- Clear off the counters and put away small appliances. Counters should be nearly completely cleared.
- Remove magnets, photos and artwork from the refrigerator.
- Clean all appliances inside and out.
- Clear out every single drawer and cupboard, sort it and put back only what you will need. Box up everything else to be donated or put in storage. Buyers will open cupboards and have a look, plus this makes packing when you sell a little bit easier.
- Sort through your food items in the pantry and fridge as well. Get rid of anything expired, and organize everything remaining neatly.
The Living Room:
You want to create an inviting and relaxing space in the living room where buyers can visualize themselves unwinding.
- Simplify your décor. You don’t want too much “stuff” cluttering up the space.
- Depersonalize the space by swapping out family photos and your kids artwork for more generic art
- Does the furniture arrangement allow for the best flow of the space? Consider rearranging it so it shows the rooms best feature. If you have lots of furniture consider removing a few pieces so the room looks larger.
The Bathrooms:
- Remove all products from the counter top and remove excess products from the shower/bathtub.
- Clean out medicine cabinet and under the sink, toss out any old products or ones you don’t use.
- Hang fresh, clean towels.
- Be sure to replace the toilet paper roll when needed.
- Make sure the toilet seat is down before showings.
The Dining Room:
- Remove any extra chairs from around the table or against the walls.
- Remove the leaf of the table, if it has one, to make the room feel larger.
- A simple centre piece of flowers or decorative vase/bowl is a nice touch.
The Bedrooms:
- Make sure all beds are made, and accentuate with accent pillows and a throw if you have them available.
- Remove clutter and excess items off the dresser and night stands.
The Yard:
This is arguably the most important area of your home to spend some time staging as it is where the potential buyer will get their first impression.
- All landscaping should be pruned, and weeded as necessary and any leaves raked up.
- Make sure the front walkway and entrance are clean and swept.
- Cut the grass when it’s needed.
- Consider adding pops of colour with in season flowers in pots and planters.
- Make sure all kids toys, tools and lawn equipment is neatly put away.
The Rest of the House:
In general you want to make sure you address the following throughout the house.
- Clean, clean, clean. This may be the most important step in staging your home. Give your home a real deep clean before listing ensuring you clean the usually forgotten areas as well like walls, inside cabinets etc.
- Tend to any general maintenance your home may need like squeaky doors or loose knobs. Consider hiring someone if you have a couple larger jobs that you just haven’t got to yet.
- Touch up paint, fill holes in cracks or walls. Consider painting the whole wall if you have a very bright colour that may be off putting to some buyers.
- Declutter and organize. This includes all visible shelves and furniture but also closets and cupboards because buyers will be looking there as well. You want to be able to give the appearance of lots of storage not a lack of.
- Replace any burnt out light bulbs, broken fixtures or missing hardware if necessary.
- Make sure each room is staged to show that room’s purpose. If you have been using a bedroom as a storage room or your dining room as your home office consider turning those rooms back into their original purposes.