Spring is a time that many home owners plan on listing their homes. Winter is the perfect time to start checking off your to do list to get your home ready for sale. I always recommend getting a fresh perspective on your home from someone who doesn’t live there or know you well. Whether you start working with your REALTOR® or with your Home Stager, it is critical to have a list of preparations to have your home show ready! Preparation is the key to selling quickly and for a better price.
One of the first things we look at is decluttering a home. How we live in a home is very different from how we show that same home for sale. We tend to have areas in our homes where we store things until we have a chance to get to them. These areas need to be addressed before listing your home. Go through closets and storage areas that are packed full and begin to sort things into four piles. 1) Keep 2) Donate 3) Garage Sale 4) Junk. This will help to minimize the amount of stuff you have to worry about keeping in your home during showings. I always recommend you pack away any collectibles or precious items in advance. It keeps them protected and safely stored away.
My rule is that anything that is staying with the house is open to inspection. Junk drawers and storage areas all look better when well organized with abundant room for storage. Buyers are always looking at storage for their household. Look in closets or cabinets is a sure way to determine if a home has adequate storage. Make sure you do not hide items in these areas hoping to declutter your home. If closets are too full of your personal items, it sends a clear message to buyers that there isn’t enough storage space. If the same closet is half empty is looks like there is an abundance of storage.
Removing extra pieces of furniture also has a huge impact on a space. Having too much furniture in a space makes a space feel small. How furniture is placed in a room can also make a room feel small. That is why it is so important to have an impartial 3rd party give you recommendations. Having a desk in a small bedroom may make the space feel much smaller. Removing the desk can make the same bedroom feel much larger. It is important to show well organized room, with good traffic flow and an abundance of space. Remove the excess furniture and items not necessary to show the space at its best.
Ensure you take care of any maintenance and repairs that may turn buyers away. A majority of buyers prefer a home in move in condition. They would rather not have to update bathrooms or paint or replace worn flooring. If you have strong paint colors, it would be better to repaint in a neutral color appealing to most buyers. Bright colors reflect light and make a space larger. Dark tones absorb light and make a space feel smaller. Dark colors in an already small space will make it feel even smaller. I also recommend sellers have their furnaces inspected and change their furnace filters. Homes that look well maintained are simply much more desirable to buyers.
Give you home a really, good deep cleaning. Everything should have your attention from baseboards, and light fixtures to bathrooms and utility rooms. Clean your windows inside and out. Have your carpets professionally cleaned, particularly in high traffic areas. Make sure your home sparkles and smells great!
The last touch should be the placement of room enhancing décor and finishing details. Make sure beds are properly made and mattresses are not showing. If necessary, buy a bed in a bag so the spare room looks appealing. Fresh new towels will look much better than old worn ones. Keep all surfaces clutter free. A few accessories or décor pieces is great, but a pile of papers or small kitchen appliances makes a space look cluttered and unappealing. Feel free to use a pop od color coordinating accents in a room to give it that wow factor. Typically, the predominant color tone is 60%, the complimentary color is 30% and the accent color (color pop) is 10%. This gives a space the balance of tones and color accents for that wow factor!
Finally, if you are really overwhelmed, call in the experts. As Home Stagers, we have a staging packages that range from basic consultations for the DIY’ers starting at $150 to a full blow staging package with furniture and décor. We can tell you what you need to do to get your home market ready yourself or we can take care of everything for you, including any repairs or maintenance. How much or how little we do is up to do. For more details check out our website at www.maximumimpactplus.com. Remember, you only have one chance to make a great first impression!