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Statistics show that staged homes sell 88% faster than non-staged homes. When shopping for a home, prospective buyers will scrutinise its aesthetics and appearance to determine if it’s right for them. If a home is poorly designed and unkempt, they’ll pass and move on to the next property for sale. So, if you’re looking to sell your home quickly, consider the following staging tips.
1. Illuminate the Outdoors
According to a survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), lighting is the most wanted outdoor feature by home buyers, with 90% of respondents rating it as essential and desirable.
Before touring the inside of a home, prospective buyers typically drive by to view its exterior. Without proper lighting, however, they won’t be able to see the surface. Homebuyers today also want outdoor living spaces where they can cook, relax and enjoy nature. If you don’t have your home’s exterior well lit, these buyers will look elsewhere for their future residence.
You can capture the attention of prospective buyers by lighting up your home’s exterior. An attractive alternative to traditional patio ceiling fixtures is uplighting, which projects light upward instead of down. Lantern sconces and string lights are also great outdoor lighting options.
2. Pressure Wash Exterior
Pressure washing is a quick and easy way to improve your home’s curb appeal. According to a Consumers Reports study, pressure washing, along with touch-up painting, increases a home’s value by 2% to 4%.
Using a high-pressure water spray and cleaning detergent, you can remove stubborn dirt, mud, mold, mildew, bacteria, and debris from your home’s siding. This otherwise simple process can make your home look years or even decades younger, all while attracting the attention of prospective buyers.
In addition to the siding, you can pressure wash these exterior surfaces:
- Driveway
- Sidewalk
- Deck
- Gutters
- Garage door
- Fencing
- Mailbox
3. Change Out Family Photos
When staging your home, you should replace family photos with artwork or other non-personal decorative accessories. Upon seeing these personal items in a home, buyers become focused on them instead of the property. Seeing family photos on walls and tables also makes it difficult for buyers to envision themselves living in the home, further discouraging them from buying the property.
You don’t have to spend a fortune on overpriced paintings. Instead, replace your family photos with some inexpensive but colourful floral paintings. Most arts and crafts stores sell a variety of inexpensive artwork that’s perfect for staging your home.
4. Set the Tables
Even if you rarely eat at the table — many families today eat in the living room and kitchen bar — it’s a good idea to set your table. Doing so shows prospective buyers that your home is ready for entertaining while also enhancing the decor with additional colour.
Setting the table involves placing cloth napkins, utensils, plates and drinking glasses in front of each seat. There are both formal and informal table settings, though the latter should suffice when staging your home to sell. Just remember to choose elegant dish ware and cutlery that flows cohesively with your home’s theme.
5. Add Slipcovers to Old Furniture
There’s nothing wrong with trying to stretch a little more life out of an old couch or love seat, but you need to be aware of the impact it has on your home’s appearance. Worn or damaged furniture, or that which otherwise shows signs of age, takes away from your home’s aesthetics, sending prospective buyers out the door.
While you can always replace the old furniture with new pieces, this can be expensive and time-consuming, especially when it involves multiple pieces. A more cost-effective solution is to use slipcovers. Placing a slipcover over an old couch, for instance, will instantly transform its appearance, making it look clean and new.
6. Declutter
According to a report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 93% of real estate agents recommend sellers declutter their home.
You can’t expect prospective buyers to show interest in a house cluttered with boxes and unused items. If anything doesn’t serve a purpose — either aesthetically or functionally — it’s considered clutter and therefore should be removed. Whether it’s a pile of boxes, unused furniture, old appliances, or toys, clutter can make it difficult to sell your home.
When decluttering your home, you have one of four options: dispose of, donate, sell, or store it. You can toss the items in the trash, give them to your favourite charity organisation, sell them, or store the items elsewhere (away from your home).
7. Paint the Walls Neutral Colours
The colour of your home’s walls can help or hurt your efforts to sell it quickly. Yellow and white, for instance, are two of the worst colours. Neutral colours, on the other hand, appeal to a larger number of people, which is why many real estate professionals recommend them.
According to a recent report by the real estate database company Zillow, painting rooms blue can add up to $5,440 to the home’s selling price. Whether dark or light, blues are easy on the eyes and look great in all rooms. Just adding blue to the dining room walls, for instance, adds up to $1,926 according to Zillow.
8. New Bathroom Towels and Floor Mats
It’s no secret that prospective home buyers pay close attention to the bathrooms. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to renovate your bathrooms with new vanities and fixtures. Something as simple as replacing the towels and floor mats can revitalise the appearance of your bathroom while making your home more attractive to buyers.
Over time, bath towels and floor mats will fade and lose their colour and visual appeal. Replacing them with fresh, new towels and floor mats helps bring back a modern feel to your bathroom. You can always save the old ones, though you should leave the new ones out when staging your home.
9. Decorate the Foyer
What’s the first thing a prospective buyer sees when entering your home? Assuming they come through the front door, it’s probably the foyer. Although small in size, this area has a significant impact on your home’s decor.
You can enhance your home’s decor by decorating the foyer. A simple combination that works well in most foyers is a desk with a chair, lamp and wall art. If you have any extra space, you can also add a small houseplant.
10. Clean Up the Landscape
Give your home’s landscape some TLC for a sure-fire way to sell it quickly. One study found that a clean and attractive landscape adds 15% to a home’s value.
Here are some tips to improve your home’s landscape:
- Add mulch to flower beds
- Mow the lawn
- Edge the driveway
- Remove weeds
- Keep grass green by watering and fertilizing
- Remove downed tree limbs and branches
- Trim shrubs and bushes.
Applying these staging strategies will make your home more appealing to prospective buyers, increasing the chance of a quick sale.