1. In 2015 NAR (the National Association of Realtors) did a study and found that “for every $100 invested in staging, the potential return is $400.” Also “A staged home will sell for 17 percent more on average than a non-staged home, and 95 percent of staged homes sell in 11 days or less. That is statistically 87 percent faster than non-staged homes.”
2. In 2017 NAR found that “77 percent of buyer’s agents said that home staging helped buyers visualize themselves in the home.”
3. There is a difference between the interior design of your home and staging your home. Decorating your home is personalizing it to your own tastes and unique style. Staging your home is depersonalizing your home, so anyone who enters it can imagine themselves living there.
4. Remove all family photographs, sports memorabilia, and any religious items you may have in your house. While they make your home your own they can easily distract a prospective buyer from being able to imagine themselves living in your house.
5. Lighting is very important – both artificial and natural light. Make sure all window treatments are open to make sure you get as much natural light as you can. Also, be sure to check that no light-bulbs are out and if they are replace them before showing your home!
6. De-clutter all countertops in bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen. Too much clutter can make a room feel unorganized and overwhelm potential buyers.
7. Keep a few decorative items around the house, like fresh flowers, candles or a bowl of fresh fruit. People are drawn to symmetry so keep this in mind when laying out decorative objects. I like to use three items that are all different sizes because it is very aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
8. A fresh coat of paint can go a long way and truly refresh a room, especially if a room is a loud color paint it to a light grey or neutral.
9. Make sure your entire home has had an intense cleaning. Either doing it yourself or hiring a professional deep cleaner to come in. People will notice every little thing so you want to make sure it looks perfect!
10. Empty the trash cans in all rooms and in the kitchen try and find a good place to hide your trash can during open houses and showings.
11. If you have a walk-in pantry make sure its organized. You can find inexpensive baskets or jars on amazon to put items into for an instant make over.
12. Make sure closets are organized especially the master bedroom closet. It will make it appear much bigger if it is tidy and all items arein their correct spot.
13. If you are taking down a large family photograph or something else that could dissuade potential buyers, replace it with a mirror which will also make the room appear larger.
14. If your home has any nicks in the wall, breaks in the screens, doors that have scratches now is the time to get those fixed!
15. Do a thorough cleaning of all the windows in your home. Since you want the natural light to come in you want to make sure people are looking out of spotless windows especially if there is a nice view.
16. If you have an extra bedroom or unused area of the house convert these spaces into an office or exercise room to show potential buyers that it is not just empty space.
17. For wood floors make sure there are no nicks in the floor, perhaps re-sand and re-stain them to make them appear new. Do the same with carpets and have a professional come and do a deep clean.
18. Exterior matters also – make sure the paint is fresh on the outside of your house and that you have some sort of landscaping even if minimal.
19. If you have a patio or porch make sure that you not only staged it with outdoor furniture but also included a rug, pillows and decorative accents such as lanterns to entice future buyers.
20. When showing your house make sure all pets are taken out of the house especially for open houses! You don’t know who could be allergic to cats and dogs and their presence can also distract from the house itself.