You’ve put up the “For Sale” sign. You’ve hired a real estate agent. And that Open House is approaching fast.
You understand that staging is crucial in increasing your home value. Not to mention, getting you a more lucrative sale.
But you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on furniture that only sits in your house for a few hours.
Why not do it yourself?
In this article, we’ll give you some of the top staging techniques. Read on to learn what they are and how you can incorporate them in time for your Open House.
1. Clean, Clean, Clean
You want to make prospective buyers feel comfortable walking into your house. Not sneezing from dust and grimacing at the sight of dirt.
Which is why it’s necessary that you deep clean. Remember, cleaning is the foundation of home staging.
Even with the latest home staging pieces from Pottery Barn, if your house was dirty, it still wouldn’t capture that wow factor.
What we mean when we say cleaning:
- Vacuum and swift floors
- Dust and wipe down every piece of furniture
- Polish wooden pieces
- Scrub the grout
- Wipe down the windows
Your goal is for the buyer to walk in and imagine the house as theirs. Having a clean home makes them less likely to think about dust or grime.
And more of a chance in imagining this as their dream home.
On that last note, you need to keep up with the cleaning process until the sale. This means deep cleaning at least once a week. And the occasional casual tidying up every few days.
2. Take Personal Items Out
Family vacation pictures, your child’s first day of school photo, dog toys, school paintings, family heirlooms, you name it.
Unfortunately, all of these personals have to be packed away. The truth is, you’re in the selling process; this house is slowly not becoming yours and is becoming someone else’s.
Like we said, you want prospective buyers to walk in and imagine the house as their own.
This would be hard to do if they saw family photos and childhood paintings. Since those personals clearly show that this house belongs to someone else.
3. Amp Up the Lighting
Many houses have poor lighting. Which means your accent pieces won’t capture the attention of buyers as much as you’d like.
This is one of the most important staging techniques because you want your house to light up and shine.
For this reason, increase the wattage. Make sure every light bulb in your house is 100 watts. Ideally, you want 100 watts of light for every 50 square feet.
Also, you don’t want the same type of light; mix them up:
- Stick to ambient lighting for the ceiling
- Task lighting for beneath the cabinets
- And accent lighting to make the tables and walls pop
4. A Fresh Coat of Paint Goes a Long Way
Does the paint on your walls looks dull? Or is it even chipping away? It’s time for a fresh coat.
Yes, you can stick to the same color. But this won’t always be the most appealing choice assuming that your furniture has changed since the last time you painted.
If you want to play it safe, go with an off-white, light gray shade. Or, if you want an accent piece to shine, consider going with a complementary color.
What you don’t want to do is paint your house with a loud color that will leave buyers more interested in the paint you used than the house.
5. It’s All About the Small Fixes
Of course, if your water heater is broken. Or your toilet has a leak. You need to fix these.
But when there are no problem areas in your house, you can give it a facelift with small changes here and there.
You can change and replace the door knobs and cabinet knobs. You can also take out and replace shelves and cabinets.
And make sure all of the windows and doors are nicely sealed.
If you feel like your house needs a bigger change, consider changing out the faucets. Or replacing the fans.
What you don’t want to do is spend a fortune redoing a house that you’re soon not going to be living in.
6. Accessorize
Some accessories here and there can add charm and character to a house. So, get some fresh flowers.
Put a beautiful fruit bowl on the kitchen table with fresh (real) fruit. Add some beautiful books to a coffee table.
Whatever you choose to accentuate your house, make sure it’s not too overwhelming or unique.
You don’t want the conversation to be around the accessories but the house itself.
7. Check and Check Again
In a half an hour several prospective buyers will be walking through your door.
The furniture is in the right places. The walls are freshly painted. The flowers are fresh and are on the table. Your new door knobs are screwed in.
You’re finished then, right? Not quite…
A half hour to an hour before people arrive, you want to do a quick round and check. Check for a dust clump you missed. Check for a toy your son left out.
By doing this you catch any last-minute messes. And can rest assured knowing buyers will fall in love with your house when they walk through the doors.
Bonus: Limit What’s On Your Walls
Like with the accessories, you don’t want to hang up several unique paintings.
As we’ve said before, you want the buyer to be talking about your house. Not your artwork.
So, play it safe, and put one or two paintings up.
Final Thoughts About Staging Techniques
With these staging techniques, your home value is bound to increase. And your house will sell much faster.
What other staging techniques have you had success with? Let us know by commenting below!
And be sure to check out our blog.
