How to Stage a Home for Sale

If you are considering selling your home, you probably want to know how to stage a home for sale.  Here in the Lake Norman area as with many areas, it is estimated that only 10% of home buyers can visualize the potential of a home.  That means 90% can’t look past the imperfections that you don’t even notice anymore.

Ever notice that when you walk into model homes they are warm and inviting?  You can have that same house built with the same colors and everything and then notice 3 months later that it doesn’t look anything like that model home.  The difference is staging!

I asked my friend and favorite professional home stager Amy Simmons to provide some tips for home staging.  Amy says the goal of home staging is to keep your home comfortable for you while showing your home in it’s most positive light and allowing your buyer’s to see how easily their family will fit in it too!  Here are some of the tips she offered that all of us can easily incorporate:

Outside Tips:

Spruce up the outside of your home for curb appeal buyers see your home from the outside first.  In fact, they are already forming an opinion of your home before they ever step foot inside.  They walk around and look at the outside.  They have to stand in the doorway waiting for their agent to unlock the door.  Present the outside of your home as if it were the star in a movie!  Make them excited to go inside.

• Pressure wash your home
• clean up flower beds
• Put fresh paint on the shutters and doors if needed
• Consider replacing/updating the door knob and light fixtures
• Spruce up the porch, add a bench/chair if you can, add flowers or greenery
• How do the porch railings look – do they need painting?

Inside tips

DECLUTTER – this is the biggest thing that needs attention in most homes, pick up all those things that you know shouldn’t be lying around and put them away or get rid of them.

Bigger is better – We want the rooms to look spacious and comfortable.  One of the best things we can do to start this off is to paint the walls a nice neutral color.  Years ago we were told to stay away from white, but this is really a good idea when staging a home.  Netural walls help the home look clean, crisp and provide a fresh palette for the buyer.  Try a soft beige or even a cream to create a clean and welcoming environment.  One of the newest trends is a light gray!  Gray is a more modern color, so if your home style is modern, this might be a good choice for you.  Also, consider hanging curtains that are the same color as the walls, this can also help a room look larger.

If you have a junk room, transform the space into a usable space. Give it definition and purpose.  Bring in a table and a comfortable chair to create an office or place several overstuffed chairs or couch and use the space as a reading nook.

The kitchen seems to be the highlight of any house; even if the buyers don’t cook!  With this in mind it is very important the kitchen gets your full attention.  For old cabinets, try a coat of paint and updated hardware.  Another great product is Rustoleum cabinet resurfacing kit.  Counters should be free of clutter.  It’s hard for a buyer to envision their life in your house if they see everything in your pantry and cabinets out on the counters!

Most of us are not using light properly.  Lighting can create a warm and inviting space so try increasing the wattage in your lamps and fixtures.  HGTV recommends that you aim for a total of 100 watts for every 50 square feet.  Don’t depend on just one or two fixtures per room either.  Make sure you have three types of lighting: ambient (general or overhead), task (pendant, under-cabinet or reading) and accent (table and wall).

Creating a welcoming environment on a conscious budget can be as easy as walking into your yard for fresh greenery.  Fresh flowers or sprays of greenery on the center of  a table bring color and create a focal point ot any room.  Accessories are like the sprinkles on a cupcake!  A piece of pottery, a candle stick, or even a stack of well-worn books can add a ton of visual interest to a room.  Always remember the rule of thumb, place accessories in odd numbers in a triangle.

Of course, we always recommend that if you are trying to sell your home and really want top dollar for your home, take care of all the needed repairs.  Nobody wants to walk into a home and see repairs that need to be made.  It makes them immediately start thinking there could be even bigger issues going on.  Present a home in great condition that looks beautiful and you will get top dollar every time.

If you are thinking of selling your home, please contact us today so that we can get you started on the right path to getting you the most money in the least amount of time possible.  If you are wondering what your home is worth, simply provide your address here and we will get back to you shortly with an estimated value.

If you would like more information about Amy Simmons and how she can help stage your home either for sale or for living in.  Contact her at AmyMSimmons@yahoo.com or visit her website here.

Lisa Alford