How to Stage Your Home for Potential Sale

Photo: LifeStorage.com

Selling a house can be a long and often nerve-wracking process. It’s not unusual for a home to sit on the market for months, even years. As a seller, you may have to come up with some creative ways of showing off your home’s best features and enticing prospective buyers.  “Staging” is one way to do this. Staging your home allows buyers to see examples of furniture arrangements and room layouts. People are very visual, and seeing pieces in the home gives buyers ideas for how their own belongings could look in each room.  Buyers often look at multiple houses; staged homes are more likely to stand out from those that are unstaged, which can make the buying decision less overwhelming.

If you want to stage your house or a house you’re selling on someone’s behalf (a deceased relative, perhaps), you need to do some prep. First, keep in mind that staging an empty house is considerably easier than staging one that’s currently occupied.  If you’re not comfortable with the process or don’t know where to start, you can work with a Staging Consultant who can work with you on rearranging furniture and basically getting the home in “showing condition” so it’s presented in the best possible light.  This means all those awkward little nooks and crannies (such as a too-small closet or alcove under the stairs), the basement, and other imperfect areas of your home will be on display for potential buyers, but in a new, more flattering, way. You want buyers to see themselves and their family living in your home and making it their own, and giving them some ideas for what "works" in certain rooms will help them do that.

Even if you’re working with a Staging Consultant to handle the actual furniture arranging and room layouts, there are plenty of things you can do to get the process started.

Exterior

•         Mow lawn, trim shrubs, weed garden, and plant new flowers and other greenery
•         Make sure your house number is clearly visible
•          Give your front porch or entryway some TLC—apply a fresh coat of paint or stain to the floor and railing, wash down porch furniture, repair or replace stained, torn, or damaged furniture cushions.
•          Wash windows

Interior

•          Declutter. If you ever needed a good reason to get rid of the books, papers, and various other debris you’ve accumulated over the years while living in your home, this is it!
•          Give your home a thorough cleaning. This is especially critical if you have animals and/or small children! Pay special attention to wood floors. Consider refinishing them if they’re excessively nicked or scratched; if that’s not in your budget, invest in area rugs to hide the worst of the wear.
•          Pick up toys and encourage your kids to clean up their rooms.
•          Try to strike a balance between “clean” and “lived in”. You want buyers to know real people live in this house, so you don’t have to remove all traces of your presence. But don’t leave newspapers, mail, kids’ sports equipment, and other remainders of your “real life” laying around, either.
•          Be vigilant about tackling pet odors. We love our pets, but let’s face it, they can be stinky at times. Besides giving your four-legged friends a bath prior to each showing (if you can), steam-clean all rugs and wash floors thoroughly.

     Have you ever staged a home for potential sale? Did you work with a professional or do it yourself? What was your experience? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!